V 


/- 


JfOFFORD  COLLEGE  LIBRARY 


THE 


PROBLEM  OF  METHODISM: 


Being  a  Reriew  of  the  Residue  Theory  of  Regeneration 

and  the  Second  Change  Theory  of  Sanctification;  and 

the  Philosophy  of  Christian  Perfection. 


BY  THE  REV.  J.  M.  BOLAND,  A.M., 

Author  of  "A  Bible  View  of  Baptism." 


"  Where  sin  abounded,  grace  did  much  more  abound."— St.  Paul. 


J.  D.  Barbee,  Agent. 

Publishing  House  of  the  m.  e.  church,  South. 

Printed  for  the  Author. 

Nashville,  Tenn. 


Entered,  according  to  Act  of  Congress,  in  the  year  1888, 

BY  J.  M.  BOLAND, 
in  the  Office  of  the  Librarian  of  Congress,  at  Washington. 


PREFACE. 


The  following  treatise  is  the  result  of  years  of 
investigation.  The  conclusions  which  we  have 
adopted  are  the  most  reasonable  and  scriptural  so- 
lution of  the  difficult  problem  involved.  If  there 
be  those  who  can  not  accept  our  views,  we  shall 
think  none  the  less  of  them  for  it.  We  claim  the 
right  to  think  and  investigate,  and  we  accord  the 
same  to  others.  If  any  man  has  any  new  light  to 
shed  upon  the  problem  we  have  discussed,  let  him 
speak  in  the  fear  of  God  and  the  love  of  the  truth, 
and  we  will  hear  him  patiently.  As  truth  is  the 
pearl  we  prize  above  rubies,  if  we  are  in  error  we 
are  ready  to  receive  new  light.  We  are  not  so 
shut  up  to  our  views  but  that  we  are  ready  to  adopt 
any  theory  of  the  divine  life  which  is  more  reason- 
able and  scriptural  than  the  one  we  have  adopted. 

Our  object  is  not  to  lower  the  standard  of  Chris- 
tian experience,  but  to  remove  some  of  the  confu- 
sion which  has  gathered  around  it,  and  place  it 
where  the  inspired  writers  left  it. 

While  we  have  called  in  question  some  opinions 

(3) 


4  Preface. 

of  our  standard  authors,  yet  our  views  quadrate 
with  our  Articles  of  Faith,  and  are  in  harmony 
with  our  Standards  so  far  as  they  are  in  harmony 
with  themselves.  We  allow  no  one  to  esteem  our 
standard  authors  more  highly  than  we  do,  but  we 
do  not  believe  that  they  are  infallible  any  more 
than  the  Pope  of  Rome.  If  we  did  not  believe 
that  we  have  thrown  new  light  on  some  points  we 
would  not  offer  another  book  on  this  often  investi- 
gated subject;  but  believing  this,  this  volume  is 
sent  forth  on  its  mission  by  the  Author. 


INTRODUCTION. 


Dr.  Thoenwell  truly  says:  "We  love  opin- 
ions instead  of  truth.  Education  becomes  second 
nature — the  dogmas  of  the  one  are  mistaken  for 
the  instructions  of  the  other.  So  we  quietly  accept 
as  intuitively  obvious,  that  which  we  learned  in  the 
nursery — hence,  error  is  perpetuated  from  age  to 
age.  One  generation  transmits  a  large  legacy  of 
errors  to  another ;  and  the  dream  of  tranquillity  is 
not  disturbed  until  some  emergency  arises,  which 
compels  examination  and  enforces  inquiry." 

But  even  then,  the  world  is  slow  to  give  up  long- 
received  opinions.  Every  new  idea  advanced  is 
weighed  and  criticised  to  see  if  it  agrees  with  pre- 
conceived opinions,  instead  of  trying  it  by  the 
standard  of  reason  and  the  word  of  God.  Though 
Luther  and  Melanchthon  succeeded  in  breaking 
loose  from  the  leading  errors  of  Romanism,  they 
did  not  live  long  enough  to  give  to  the  world  a  sys- 
tem of  doctrine  complete  and  harmonious  in  every 
part.  A  work  of  such  magnitude  as  the  Reforma- 
tion could  not  easily  be  accomplished  in  one  gener- 

(5) 


Introduction. 


ation.  The  errors  of  the  "  Dark  Ages"  were  many, 
deep,  and  radical.  But,  by  the  aid  of  science  and  a 
more  thorough  study  of  the  Bible,  many  of  the 
tenets  in  that  stupendous  compilation  called  Ortho- 
doxy have  been  modified;  as  time  moved  on  new 
errors  were  discovered,  exposed,  and  finally  re- 
nounced ;  and  still  the  work  is  not  done. 

My  idea  is  that  we  make  a  mistake  in  calling 
any  of  our  systems  orthodox — even  the  best  of 
them.  They  are  all  imperfect;  they  all  contain 
error — perhaps  a  good  deal  of  it.  In  making  up 
our  Creed,  we  ought  to  start  with  the  idea  of  choos- 
ing between  imperfect  orthodoxies,  and  not  between 
one  orthodoxy  and  a  hundred  heterodoxies;  then 
take  the  one  which  on  the  Avhole  presents  the  few- 
est difficulties  and  fits  the  largest  number  of  ascer- 
tained facts.  I  would  not  dare  to  frame  a  form  of 
words,  however  clear  to  my  mind,  and  say  to  an- 
other man:  Accept  this,  or  you  are  not  orthodox. 
"  The  Lord  has  more  truth  yet  to  break  out  of  his 
holy  word."  I  can  not  sufficiently  bewail  the  con- 
dition of  those  who  have  come  to  a  period  in  relig- 
ion. Luther,  Calvin,  and  Knox,  great  and  good 
and  wise  and  learned ;  Arminius,  Wesley,  and  Wat- 


Introduction. 


son,  also  great  and  good  and  wise  and  learned:  is 
it  high  treason  to  say  of  any  of  them  and  all  of 
them,  "  These  penetrated  not  into  the  whole  coun- 
sel of  God  ?  "  With  every  discussion  there  has  been 
real  progress.  More  comprehensive  and  precise 
statements,  as  well  as  clearer  conceptions,  have  been 
attained  up  to  the  present  day.  In  the  future  prog- 
ress will  largely  depend  upon  our  liberality  in  con- 
sidering opinions  which  vary  from  the  current  and 
accepted  orthodoxy,  and  also  upon  our  vigor  and 
boldness  in  resisting  the  error  we  may  discover  in 
such  opinions.  So  let  us  help  one  another,  and  God 
will  guide  us  into  all  truth.  Then  we  shall  all  be 
orthodox. 


CONTENTS. 


Chapter  I.  page 

A  General  Survey  of  the  Subject 11 

Chapter  II. 
The  Twofold  Nature  of  Man 34 

Chapter  III. 
"Sin  in  Believers." 69 

Chapter  IV. 

"How  Readest  Thou?" 97 

Chapter  V. 
The  Modern  Fathers  in  Trouble 131 

Chapter  VI. 
"Regeneration  a  Partial  Renovation." 158 

Chapter  VII. 
Christian  Perfection 191 

Chapter  VIII. 

"Not  Under  the  Law,  but  Under  Grace." 223 

Chapter  IX. 

The  Laws  and  Conditions  of  Spiritual  Growth.  249 

Chapter  X. 

The  Christian's  Secret  of  a  Happy  Life 281 

Chapter  XI. 
"  Now  of  the  Things  of  Which  We  Have 
Spoken,  This  Is  the  Sum." 308 

(9) 


Tjje  Pfobleni  of  Methodism. 


*\*i'Kj*,\t"n>*.i,\,r\*\>" 


CHAPTER  I. 

A  General  Survey  of  the  Subject. 

The  mission  of  Methodism  is  to 
"  spread  scriptural  holiness  over  these 
lands."  Mr.  Wesley  says :  "  My  broth- 
er Charles  and  I,  reading  the  Bible,  saw 
we  could  not  be  saved  without  holiness ; 
we  followed  after  it  and  incited  others 
so  to  do.  .  .  .  Holiness  was  our  ob- 
ject— inward  and  outward  holiness.  .  . 
God  then  thrust  us  out  to  raise  up  a  holy 
people."  "  This  doctrine  (inward  and 
outward  holiness)  is  the  grand  deposi- 
turn  which  God  has  lodged  with  the  peo- 
ple called  Methodists  ;  and  for  the  sake 

(11) 


12  The  Froblem  of  Methodism. 

of  propagating  this  doctrine  he  appears 
to  have  raised  us  up." 

In  writing  to  his  brother  Charles, 
Mr.  Wesley  says :  "  Insist  everywhere 
on  full  salvation  received  now  by  faith. 
Press  the  instantaneous  blessing." 
Again  he  says :  "  Let  all  our  preachers 
make  a  point  of  preaching  perfection  to 
believers,  constantly,  strongly,  explicit- 
ly. ...  I  am  afraid  Christain  per- 
fection will  be  forgotten.  A  general 
faintness  in  this  respect  has  fallen  on 
the  whole  kingdom.  Sometimes  I  seem 
almost  weary  of  striving  against  the 
stream  of  both  preachers  and  people." 
He  wrote  to  Dr.  Clarke  thus :  "To  re- 
tain the  grace  of  God  is  much  more 
than  to  gain  it.  And  this  should  be 
strongly  urged  on  all  who  have  tasted 
of  perfect  love.  If  you  can  prove  that 
any  of  our  preachers  or  leaders,  either 


A  General  Survey  of  the  Subject.        13 

directly  or  indirectly,  speak  against  it, 
let  him  be  a  preacher  or  a  leader  no 
longer.  I  doubt  whether  he  should  con- 
tinue in  the  Society.  Because  he  that 
could  thus  speak  in  our  congregation 
cannot  be  an  honest  man." 

Dr.  Clarke  says :  "  If  Methodists  give 
up  preaching  entire  sanctification  they 
will  soon  lose  their  glory.  .  .  .  Let 
all  those  who  retain  the  apostolic  doc- 
trine, that  'the  blood  of  Jesus  Christ 
cleanseth  from  all  sin,'  press  every  be- 
liever to  go  on  to  perfection  and  expect 
to  be  saved  while  here  below,  unto  the 
fullness  of  the  blessing  of  the  gospel  of 
Christ." 

Bishop  Asbury  says :  "lam  divinely 
impressed  with  a  charge  to  preach  sanc- 
tification in  every  sermon." 

Bishop  McKendree  wrote  to  the  se- 
raphic Summer-field  thus :  "  But  superior 


14  The  Problem  of  Methodism. 

to  all  these  I  trust  you  will  ever  keep 
in  view,  in  all  your  ministrations,  the 
great  design  which  we  believe  God  in- 
tended to  accomplish  in  the  world,  in 
making  us  '  a  people  that  were  not  a 
people.'  I  mean  the  knowledge,  not  of 
a  free  and  a  present,  but  also  a  full  sal- 
vation— in  other  words,  a  salvation  from 
all  sin  unto  all  holiness.  Insist  much 
on  this ;  build  up  the  Churches  herein, 
and  proclaim  aloud  that  'without  holi- 
ness no  man  shall  see  the  Lord.'  Under 
the  guidance  of  the  Spirit  of  Holiness, 
this  doctrine  will  be  acknowledged  of 
God ;  signs  will  follow  them  that  be- 
lieve and  press  after  this  uttermost  sal- 
vation, and  our  people  will  bear  the 
mark  of  their  high-calling,  become  a 
holy  nation,  a  peculiar  people." 

In  addition  to  these  individual  utter- 
ances, the  Bishops  in  their  quadrennial 


A  General  Survey  of  the  Subject.        15 

addresses,  and  the  General  Conferences 
in  their  pastoral  addresses  to  the  whole 
Church,  "  have,  at  various  periods,  sent 
forth  the  most  unequivocal  and  emphat- 
ic deliverances." 

In  their  quadrennial  address  to  the 
General  Conference  of  1824,  the  Bish- 
ops said :  "  Do  we,  as  preachers,  feel  the 
same  child-like  spirit  which  so  eminent- 
ly distinguished  our  first  ministers? 
Do  we  come  to  the  people  in  the  fullness 
of  the  blessing  of  the  gospel  of  peace? 
.  .  .  Are  we  striving  by  faith  and 
obedience  to  elevate  our  hearts  and  lives 
to  the  standard  of  gospel  holiness?  or 
are  we  wishing  to  have  the  standard 
lowered  to  our  unsanctified  natures? 
In  short,  are  we  content  to  have  the 
doctrine  of  Christian  holiness  an  article 
of  our  Creed  only,  without  becoming  ex- 
perimentally and  practically  acquainted 

WOFFORB  COLLEGE  LIBRARY 

'N  a©  ^_  ___w  S  , 


16  The  Problem  of  Methodism. 

with  it?  Are  we  pressing  after  it  as  the 
prize  of  our  high  calling  in  Christ  Je- 
sus? ...  If  the  Methodists  lose 
sight  of  this  doctrine  they  will  fall  by 
their  own  weight.  Their  success  in 
gaining  members  will  be  the  cause  of 
their  dissolution.  Holiness  is  the  main 
cord  that  binds  us  together.  Relax  this 
and  you  loosen  the  whole  system.  .  .  . 
The  original  design  of  Methodism  was 
to  raise  up  and  preserve  a  holy  people. 
This  was  the  principal  object  which  Mr. 
Wesley  had  in  view.  To  this  end  all  the 
doctrines  believed  and  preached  by  the 
Methodists  tend.  Whoever  supposed, 
or  who  that  is  acquainted  with  the  case, 
can  suppose  it  was  designed,  in  any  of 
its  parts,  to  secure  the  applause  and 
popularity  of  the  world,  or  a  numerical 
increase  of  worldly  or  impenitent  men? 
Is  there  any  provision  made  for  the  ag- 


A  General  Survey  of  the  Subject.        17 

grandizement  of  our  ministers  or  the 
worldly-mi ndedness  of  our  members? 
None  whatever! " 

In  1832  the  General  Conference  is- 
sued a  pastoral  address  to  the  whole 
Church,  in  which  they  said :  "  When  we 
speak  of  holiness  we  mean  that  state  in 
which  God  is  loved  with  all  the  heart 
and  served  with  all  our  powers.  This, 
as  Methodists,  we  have  said,  is  the  priv- 
ilege of  the  Christian  in  this  life.  .  .  . 
Is  it  not  time,  in  this  matter,  to  return 
to  first  principles  ?  Is  it  not  time  that 
we  throw  off  the  inconsistency  with 
which  we  are  charged  in  regard  to  this 
matter?  .  .  .  And  when  this  shall 
come  to  pass  we  may  expect  a  corre- 
sponding increase  of  Christian  enjoy- 
ment, and  in  the  force  of  religious  in- 
fluence we  shall  exert  over  others." 

Passing  by  many  more  documents  of 

2 


18  The  Problem  of  Methodism. 

this  kind  from  which  we  might  quote, 
we  come  to  the  Centennial  Conference 
of  American  Methodism,  which  met  in 
Baltimore  in  1884,  and  which  re-af- 
firmed the  faith  of  the  Church  in  all  its 
branches,  in  these  words :  "  We  remind 
you,  brethren,  that  the  mission  of  Meth- 
odism is  to  promote  holiness.  This  end 
and  aim  enters  into  all  our  organic  life. 
Holiness  is  the  fullness  of  life,  the  crown 
of  the  soul,  the  joy  and  strength  of  the 
Church.  It  is  not  a  sentiment  or  an 
emotion,  but  a  principle  inwrought  in 
the  heart,  the  culmination  of  God's 
work  in  us  followed  by  a  consecrated 
life." 

Thus  an  earnest  desire  for  Bible  Ho- 
liness drew  together  in  Christian  sym- 
pathy and  finally  organized  that  band 
of  godly  men  which  were  first  called 
the  "Holy  Club,"  then  "Methodists." 


A  General  Survey  of  the  Subject.        19 

As  they  said  themselves,  they  banded 
together  to  "  seek  inward  and  outward 
holiness."  They  "  hungered  and  thirst- 
ed after  righteousness."  They  groaned 
to  be  M  cleansed  from  all  sin,"  and  to  be 
"filled  with  all  the  fullness  of  God." 
So  they  "  organized  class-meetings, 
where  they  might  open  their  hearts  one 
to  another,  and  tell  their  conflicts  and 
triumphs,  their  joys  and  sorrows,  and 
thus  mutually  stimulate  and  assist." 
They  met  in  foundries  and  workshops 
and  in  the  open  air  to  pray  and  sing 
and  exhort.  In  love-feasts  they  told  of 
their  growth  in  grace  and  of  their  yearn- 
ings after  holiness  of  heart  and  life. 
They  were  filled  and  ruled  by  one  su- 
preme, overmastering  desire  to  be  holy 
themselves  and  urge  others  to  the  same 
experience.  They  preached  it,  prayed 
for  it,  professed  it,  sung  of  it,  illustrat- 


20  The  Problem  of  Methodism. 

ed  it  in  their  lives,  and  died  testifying 
"  The  blood  of  Jesus  Christ  his  Son 
clean seth  from  all  unrighteousness." 
And  when  this  band  of  devout  souls 
"  crystallized  into  a  Church,"  it  was  for 
the  expressed  purpose  of  elevating 
Christian  experience,  reviving  primi- 
tive Christianity,  and  of  "  spreading 
scriptural  holiness  over  the  land."  And 
so  they  adopted  the  "  General  Rules  " 
of  Mr.  Wesley's  "  United  Societies  "  as 
their  "conception  of  Bible  religion,  af- 
firming that  all  these  rules  are  taught 
of  God  in  his  written  word,  which  is 
the  only  rule  and  the  sufficient  rule  of 
our  faith  and  practice.  And  all  these 
we  know  his  Spirit  writes  on  truly 
awakened  hearts." 

In  keeping  with  all  this,  we  call  at- 
tention to  the  fact  that  the  vows  of 
Church-membership  demand  a  complete 


A  General  Survey  of  the  Subject.        21 

consecration :  "  Dost  thou  renounce  the 
devil  and  all  his  works — the  vain  pomp 
and  glory  of  the  world,  with  all  covet- 
ous desires  of  the  same,  and  the  carnal 
desires  of  the  flesh,  so  that  thou  wilt 
not  follow  or  be  led  by  them  ?  Answer : 
I  renounce  them  all.  Wilt  thou  then 
obediently  keep  God's  holy  will  and 
commandments,  and  walk  in  the  same 
all  the  days  of  thy  life?  Answer:  I 
will  endeavor  so  to  do,  God  being  my 
helper."  Thus  a  complete  surrender  was 
demanded  of  each  applicant  at  the  very 
threshold  of  the  Church ;  none  were  in- 
vited to  join  unless  he  had  a  fixed  "  de- 
sire to  flee  from  the  wrath  to  come,  and 
to  be  saved  from  his  sins." 

"When  ministers  were  to  be  set  apart 
in  this  Church,  "  these  spiritually-mind- 
ed fathers  "  said :  "  Let  the  following 
questions  be  asked :  Do  they  know  God 


22  The  Problem  of  Methodism. 

as  a  pardoning  God?  Have  they  the 
love  of  God  abiding  in  them  ?  Do  they 
desire  nothing  but  God?  Are  they 
holy  in  all  manner  of  conversation?" 
When,  after  sufficient  trial,  these  preach- 
ers were  brought  forward  to  be  received 
into  the  Annual  Conference,  and  ap- 
pointed regular  pastors  over  the  flock, 
they  were  asked  the  following  questions 
— viz. :  "  Have  you  faith  in  Christ  ?  Do 
you  expect  to  be  made  perfect  in  love  in 
this  life?  Are  you  groaning  after  it? 
Are  you  resolved  to  devote  yourself 
wholly  to  God  and  his  work?"  In 
these  questions,  and  the  answers  given, 
the  mind  and  purpose  of  the  Methodist 
Church  are  clearly  denned.  Raised  up, 
as  she  was,  to  "  spread  scriptural  holiness 
over  these  lands,"  she  has  always  re- 
fused to  ordain  any  preacher  who  was  in- 
different on  the  subject  of  Bible  holiness. 


A  General  Survey  of  the  Subject.         23 

Here,  then,  we  find  the  central  pur- 
pose and  inspiration  of  Methodism.  It 
is  Primitive  Christianity  revived — 
"  Christianity  in  earnest " — "  Christ  in 
you  the  hope  of  glory:"  "whom  we 
preach,  warning  every  man,  and  teach- 
ing every  man  in  all  wisdom ;  that  we 
may  present  every  man  perfect  in  Christ 
Jesus."  "Methodism  is  for  Bible  holi- 
ness, or  it  is  for  nothing.  Take  that  out 
of  our  preaching  and  it  is  emasculated. 
Take  that  out  of  your  living  and  you 
have  nothing  left  worth  your  time  and 
effort!" 

If  we  turn  to  the  Bible  we  find  holi- 
ness taught,  holiness  commanded,  holi- 
ness offered,  holiness  attainable,  holiness 
already  attained  and  enjoyed.  If  "Christ 
gave  himself  for  us  that  he  might  re- 
deem us  from  all  iniquity,  and  purify 
unto  himself  a  peculiar  people,  zealous 


24  The  Problem  of  Methodism. 

of  good  works,"  then  we  may  be  "puri- 
fied "  and  become  a  "  peculiar  people." 
If  "  Christ  died  without  the  gate  that 
he  might  sanctify  the  people  with  his 
own  blood,"  then  the  people  may  be 
"sanctified'"  and  "preserved  blameless 
until  the  coming  of  the  Lord  Jesus." 
If  "  Christ  also  loved  the  Church,  and 
gave  himself  for  it ;  that  he  might  sanc- 
tify and  cleanse  it,  and  present  it  to 
himself  a  glorious  Church,  not  having 
spot,  or  wrinkle,  or  any  such  thing ;  but 
that  it  should  be  holy  and  without  blem- 
ish," then  the  Church  may  be  "  holy,  not 
having  spot,  or  wrinkle,  or  blemish,  or  any 
such  thing!  "  To  assume  any  thing  less 
than  this  is  to  cast  contempt  on  the 
provisions  of  grace,  and  to  limit  and 
dishonor  the  vicarious  death  of  Christ ! 
Holiness  is  the  great  truth  that  glows 
on  every  page  of  revelation,  and  webs 


A  General  Survey  of  the  Subject.  25 

its  way  all  through  the  Bible.  It  spark- 
les, and  whispers,  and  sings,  and  shouts, 
in  all  its  prophecy,  and  biography,  and 
poetry,  and  promises,  and  prayers !  No 
wonder,  then,  that  John  and  Charles 
Wesley  concluded  "from  reading  the 
Bible,"  that  they  "  could  not  be  saved 
without  holiness."  The  truth  is,  all  who 
read  the  Bible  as  the  word  of  God  are 
led  to  the  same  conclusion.  Even  the 
Church  of  Rome,  with  all  her  corrup- 
tions and  abominations  and  perversions 
of  Scripture,  found  it  easier  to  invent  a 
purgatory  in  which  to  purify  the  soul, 
than  to  set  aside  the  grand  Bible  doc- 
trine, "without  holiness  no  man  shall 
see  the  Lord."  And  if  there  is  a  Church 
on  earth  which  does  not  hold  and  teach 
that  holiness  is  necessary  to  get  to  heav- 
en, I  have  never  heard  of  it.  The  only 
controversy  among  the  Churches  is  in 


26  The  Problem  of  Methodism. 

regard  to  the  time,  the  place,  and  the 
means  by  which  the  work  is  done. 
Methodism  stands  alone  among  all  the 
Churches,  in  preaching  a  present  salva- 
tion from  all  sin,  by  faith  in  the  blood  of 
the  Lamb,  and  the  possibility  of  such  a  one 
"  abiding  in  Christ  and  sinning  not." 

Now,  while  every  branch  of  Method- 
ism stands  pledged  to  preach  a  present 
salvation  from  all  sin,  to  be  followed  by 
a  life  of  holiness,  yet  it  is  a  lamentable 
fact  that  from  John  Wesley  to  the  pres- 
ent there  have  been  two  theories  of  the 
divine  life  shut  up  in  the  womb  of  Meth- 
odism ;  and,  like  Esau  and  Jacob,  they 
have  "  struggled  together."  While  John 
Wesley  did  more  than  any  other  man 
to  revive  primitive  Christianity  and  to 
clear  up  the  muddy  theology  of  the 
Dark  Ages,  yet  it  is  a  remarkable  fact 
that  he  failed  to  harmonize  his  theory 


A  General  Survey  of  the  Subject.         27 


of  the  divine  life  at  some  points;  "and 
what  shall  the  man  do  that  cometh  after 
the  king?"  The  modern  Methodist 
fathers  and  authors,  who  adopted  Mr. 
Wesley's  theory,  have  not  only  failed  to 
harmonize  Mr.  Wesley  with  himself, 
but  they  have  "  found  no  end  in  wan- 
dering mazes  lost."  If  the  reader  thinks 
these  are  strong  statements,  we  plead 
guilty,  for  we  weighed  every  word  in 
order  to  make  them  strong;  but  if  he 
thinks  they  are  too  strong,  then  we  ask 
him  to  suspend  his  final  judgment  until 
he  has  read  these  pages  through. 

The  great  mistake  Mr.  Wesley  made 
was  in  adopting  the  "  residue  theory  of 
regeneration"  and  the  "second  change 
theory  of  sanctification."  The  next  mis- 
take was  in  confounding  "  sanctification 
with  Christian  perfection."  This  mis- 
take has  done  a  deal  of  harm.     Take 


28  The  Problem  of  Methodism. 

any  theory  of  sanctification  you  please 
— let  it  be  a  first,  second,  third,  or 
fourth  blessing;  but  do  not  confound 
sanctification  with  Christian  perfection. 
Sanctification  is  moral  purity;  perfec- 
tion is  Christian  maturity.  The  one  is 
the  result  of  an  act  of  cleansing;  the 
other  is  the  result  of  a  growth  in  grace. 
The  one  is  done  in  a  moment;  the  other 
is  the  work  of  time  and  experience. 
The  newborn  soul  may  be  pure,  but  he 
cannot  be  mature. 

After  reading  every  book  on  the  sub- 
ject I  could  obtain,  after  consulting 
every  text  of  scrij)ture  quoted,  I  have 
reached  this  conclusion:  Regeneration 
is  a  complete  work  in  its  nature,  and 
includes  sanctification,  or  moral  purity, 
while  Christian  perfection  is  a  state  of 
freedom  from  sin,  and  includes  a  matu- 
rity of  the  Christian  graces.     The  one 


A  General  Survey  of  the  Subject.        29 

is  instantaneous  and  complete,  admit- 
ting of  no  degrees  ;  the  other  is  progress- 
ive— a  growth,  a  going  on,  until  the  full 
stature  of  a  perfect  man  in  Christ  is 
reached.  Holiness  and  perfect  love  will 
fit  into  this  theory,  at  the  proper  place, 
as  we  proceed. 

The  Ninth  Article  of  the  Church  of 
England  declares  that  "original  sin  is 
the  corruption  of  the  nature  of  every 
man ;  .  .  .  and  this  infection  of  nat- 
ure doth  remain  in  them  that  are  regener- 
ated" As  Mr.  Wesley  belonged  to  this 
Church,  and  wrote  from  the  stand-point 
of  this  Ninth  Article,  we  can  see  how 
he  came  to  adopt  the  residue  theory  of 
regeneration ;  and  then  he  had  to  give 
up  the  doctrine  of  sanctification,  or  else 
bring  in  sanctification  as  a  "second 
change"  to  get  rid  of  this  "remaining 
corruption."     But,  as  Mr.  Wesley  cut 


30  The  Problem  of  Methodism. 

this  objectionable  clause  out  of  the  Ar- 
ticles of  Faith  which  he  prepared  for  the 
Methodist  Episcopal  Church  in  Ameri- 
ca, it  is  a  little  strange  that  so  many 
American  Methodists  adopted  the  resi- 
due theory  of  regeneration. 

In  reading  up  on  this  subject,  I  have 
been  amazed  to  see  how  this  theory  of 
the  divine  life  has  led  men  to  minify  re- 
generation and  magnify  sanctification. 
Take  a  few  examples:  "The  carnal 
mind  survives  the  work  of  regeneration, 
and  is  often  actively  rebellious  in  the 
hearts  of  real  Christians."  "  In  this  re- 
generate state,  the  former  corruptions 
of  the  heart  may  remain  and  strive  for 
the  mastery."  "Although  in  regenera- 
tion holy  principles  are  infused  into  the 
soul,  yet  the  change  produced  is  only  par- 
tial." "As  long  as  Christians  live  in  a 
'partially  purified  state,"  etc.    "  The  new 


A  General  Survey  of  the  Subject.         31 

life  has  existence  in  a  soul  partially  car- 
nal in  the  mere  regenerate."  "  Regen- 
eration removes  some  sin  or  pollution,  and 
entire  sanctification  removes  the  corrup- 
tion which  remains  after  regeneration." 
"  Regeneration  consists  simply  in  par- 
tial renovation  and  divine  adoption." 

Now  I  submit  that  any  theory  of  the 
divine  life  that  leads  to  such  expres- 
sions as  the  above  cannot  be  harmo- 
nized with  the  Bible  idea  of  the  "  new 
birth,"  the  "new  man,"  and  the  "new 
creation."  Hence,  Mr.  Wesley  never 
did  reconcile  the  residue  theory  with 
his  own  definition  of  the  "  new  birth." 
I  would  like  to  see  one  of  our  mod- 
ern "  Holiness  Conventions"  harmonize 
the  following  utterances  of  Mr.  Wes- 
ley: 

1.  "By  all  the  grace  1.  " To  be  born  again, 
given  at  justification,  we  is  to  be  inwardly  changed 


32 


J  he  Problem  of  Methodism. 


cannot  wholly  cleanse 
either  our  hearts  or 
hands.  Most  sure  we  can- 
not, till  it  shall  please  our 
Lord  to  speak  to  our 
hearts  again,  to  speak  the 
second  time,  'Be  clean!' 
and  then  only,  the  lep- 
rosy is  cleansed.  Then 
only  the  carnal  mind  is 
destroyed,  and  inbred  sin 
subsists  no  more." 

2.  "  If  there  be  no  sec- 
ond change,  no  instanta- 
neous deliverance  after 
justification,  then  we 
must  remain  full  of  sin 
till  death."  "  Certainly 
sanctification  is  an  in- 
stantaneous deliverance 
from  all  sin." 


from  all  sinfulness  to  all 
holiness."  "He  is  cre- 
ated anew  in  Christ  Je- 
sus. He  is  washed,  he  is 
sanctified.  His  heart  is 
purified  by  faith;  he  is 
cleansed  from  the  cor- 
ruption that  is  in  the 
world."  "That  which  is 
born  of  the  Spirit  is  spir- 
itual, heavenly,  divine, 
like  its  author." 

2.  "Every  one  that 
hath  Christ  in  him  the 
hope  of  glory  is  saved 
from  all  sin,  from  all  un- 
righteousness." "  It  is  un- 
deniably true  that  sanc- 
tification is  a  progressive 
work,  carried  on  in  the 


soul  by  slow  degrees." 

After  reading  the  above  deliverances, 
and  many  more  of  the  same  import,  we 
are  prepared  to  hear  him  say :    "  Per- 


A  General  Savvey  of  the  Subject.         33 

haps  I  have  an  exceedingly  complex  idea 
of  sanctification !  "* 

We  propose  to  examine  the  residue 
theory  of  regeneration  and  the  second 
change  theory  of  sanctification,  in  the 
light  of  reason,  psychology,  and  the 
Word  of  God.  In  order  to  explain  those 
mental  states  which  have  been  called 
"sin  in  believers,"  "inbred  sin,"  the 
"remains  of  the  carnal  mind,"  the  "  cor- 
ruption of  our  nature,"  the  "body  of 
sin,"  and  the  "old  man,"  we  must  first 
discuss  the  twofold  nature  of  man,  the 
effects  of  the  fall,  and  the  philosophy 
of  temptation. 

*The  only  solution  of  thia  confusion  is  given  in 
the  last  chapter  of  this  book,  to  which  we  call  spe- 
cial attention. 
3 


CHAPTER  II. 

The  Twofold  Nature  of  Man. 

Every  man — and  of  course  every 
Christian — has  at  least  two  natures.* 
The  one  is  designed  to  be  subordinate 
and  subservient  to  the  other.  Each  has 
its  office  to  fill — it  takes  both  to  consti- 
tute a  man;  and  "the  highest  style  of 
man  "  is  he  whose  twofold  nature  is  in 

*  The  sharp  psychomachy,  Avhich  Paul  so  well 
portrays,  interprets  the  consciousness  of  millions. 
That  man  is  not  all  of  the  earth ;  that  he  is  en- 
dowed with  a  higher  nature,  reaching  to  heaven,  all 
Christians  agree,  and  with  them  thousands  who  are 
not  Christians  coincide.  In  the  minuter  analysis 
of  humanity,  Dichotomists  and  Trichotomists  con- 
tend, and  many  deeply  interesting  questions  in  On- 
tology and  Psychology  arise.  These  mysteries  of 
humanity  have  bewildered  theologians,  and  thereby 
troubled  Christians. 
(34) 


The  Twofold  Nature  of  Man.  35 

harmony  at  once  with  itself  and  with 
the  Creator. 

In  reference  to  the  effects  of  the  fall 
of  man  and  the  work  of  restoration 
through  the  gospel,  there  are  two  errone- 
ous opinions  or  theories.  The  one  is,  that 
such  is  the  condition  of  man's  lower  nat- 
ure, since  the  fall,  that  it  is  impossible 
for  him  to  live  without  committing  sin 
daily.  The  other  is,  that  all  the  lower 
affinities  and  sensibilities  of  our  nature 
must  be  so  crucified  and  destroyed  that 
there  will  be  no  stirring  of  the  emotions 
nor  enkindling  of  the  desires  toward 
any  forbidden  object. 

The  first  theory  is  supposed  to  be 
taught  in  the  seventh  chapter  of  Ro- 
mans. But  the  character  described 
there  is  a  convicted  Pharisee,  and  not  a 
renewed  and  sanctified  Christian.  The 
new   life  and  the  Christian   character 


36  The  Problem  of  Methodism. 

are  described  in  the  eighth  chapter  of 
Romans.  Moreover,  John  says :  "Who- 
soever is  born  of  God  [and  abideth  in 
him]  doth  not  commit  sin." 

The  second  theory  is  supposed  to  be 
set  forth  in  the  sixth  chapter  of  Romans 
and  other  passages,  where  the  Christian 
life  is  represented  as  a  "crucifixion  of 
the  old  man,"  and  a  "death  of  sin." 
Now  the  great  object  of  the  gospel  is 
to  give  to  our  spiritual  nature,  which  is 
"dead  in  sin,"  its  true,  original  life, 
and  through  it  to  restore  all  the  lower 
elements  of  our  essential  constitution 
to  order  and  their  proper  functions,  but 
not  to  destroy  any  of  them.  Dr.  Clarke 
says:  "The  'old  man,'  the  'body  of  sin,' 
is  the  same  as  the  '  infection  of  our  nat- 
ure,' in  consequence  of  the  fall." 
Hence,  the  "  old  man,"  the  "  body  of 
sin,"  must  be  "destroyed,"  but  not  the 


The  Twofold  Nature  of  Man.  37 

nature  of  man.  The  "corruption  of  our 
nature  "  must  be  removed,  but  all  the 
essential  elements  of  our  twofold  nat- 
ure are  left  intact.  When  the  "  de- 
sires are  drawn  out  and  enticed  "  by  an 
evil  object,  the  desires  must  be  "  reject- 
ed" and  thereby  "  mortified"  but  neither 
the  capacity  to  desire,  nor  the  suscepti- 
bility to  feel  the  force  of  enticement  to 
sin,  are  to  be  destroyed ;  for  that  would 
put  man  beyond  the  possibility  of  being 
tempted,  which  possibility  must  exist 
while  probation  continues. 

Let  us  go  to  the  very  root  of  this  sub- 
ject. Without  a  clear  view  of  man's 
essential  nature,  we  are  incompetent  to 
judge  of  the  correctness  or  defects  of 
any  theory  of  the  divine  life.  If  we 
wish  to  know  what  were  the  effects  of 
the  fall  upon  man's  essential  nature,  and 
what  is  necessary  to  renew  man's  nature 


38  The  Problem  of  Methodism. 

"in  righteousness  and  true  holiness," 
we  must  ascertain  what  that  nature  was 
as  he  came  from  the  hand  of  his  Crea- 
tor. We  learn  from  the  Bible  that 
man,  while  in  a  state  of  innocence  and 
purity,  was  subjected  to  temptation ;  and 
that  he  possessed,  then,  appetites,  emo- 
tions, and  desires  similar  in  nature  to 
those  belonging  to  the  human  mind  and 
constitution  now.  "  When  the  woman 
saw  that  the  tree  was  good  for  food,  and 
that  it  was  pleasant  to  the  eyes,  and  a 
tree  to  be  desired  to  make  one  wise,  she 
took  of  the  fruit  thereof  and  did  eat." 
(Gen.  iii.  6.)  Here  we  have:  first,  a 
perception  of  a  forbidden  object;  sec- 
ond, the  appetite  for  food  awakened; 
third,  the  emotions  of  pleasure  stirred ; 
fourth,  the  desire  to  know  enkindled; 
and,  finally,  the  volition  and  act  that 
constituted  the  sin  by  which  man  fell. 


The  Twofold  Nature  of  Man.  39 

It  is  clear,  then,  that  man,  in  his  best 
estate,  possessed  all  those  mental  ca- 
pacities called  natural  sensibilities,  and 
that  these  sensibilities  were  susceptible 
of  being  addressed  and  excited  by  a 
forbidden  object.  Instead,  then,  of 
these  natural  sensibilities  being,  in  some 
mysterious  way,  the  result  of  the  fall, 
they  belong  to  and  are  inseparable 
from  the  human  constitution  in  its  orig- 
inal organization.  Man,  considered  in 
the  light  of  Biblical  psychology,  pos- 
sessed them  all  in  his  pristine  purity. 
But  when  he  fell,  those  faculties  which 
were  essential  to  humanity  became  per- 
verted and  corrupted,  and  passions 
which  were  intended  to  perform  only  a 
subordinate  part  became  controlling; 
but  no  new  faculty  was  projected  into 
his  constitution.  Whatever  we  may 
find  in  man's  fallen,  depraved  nature  to 


40  The  Problem  of  Methodism. 

purify  and  regulate,  we  find  no  constitu- 
tional sensibilities  to  be  obliterated,  no 
faculty  to  be  destroyed. 

Depravity,  then,  is  not  a  real  entity, 
existing  apart  from  man's  essential  con- 
stitution— not  an  actual  substance,  or 
real  entity,  projected  into  man's  consti- 
tution; but  a  corruption  and  &  perversion 
of  man's  essential  powers.  In  the  ab- 
sence of  spiritual  life,  the  great  control- 
ling principle  which  was  lost  in  the  fall, 
man's  moral  nature  is  not  only  para- 
lyzed, but  all  the  lower  elements  of  his 
essential  nature  transcend  their  true 
bounds  and  run  riot  in  indulgence,  so 
that  "  man  is  prone  to  go  astray  from 
his  youth  up."  Now,  this  depravity  is 
personified  by  Paul  as  the  "old  man," 
the  "body  of  sin;"  because  man's 
higher  nature  is  under  the  dominion  of 
his  lower  nature.     This  depravity,  this 


The  Twofold  Nature  of  Man.  41 

dominion  of  the  flesh  over  the  spirit,  this 
"course  of  carnal  thinking,"  Paul  also 
calls  "the  carnal  mind."  Now  this 
"course  of  carnal  thinking,"  this  "in- 
herited tendency  to  sin,"  is  what  Paul 
calls  "the  law  of  sin  and  death,"  from 
which,  he  affirms,  "the  law  of  the  Spir- 
it of  life  in  Christ  Jesus  makes  us  free." 
Hence,  "  to  be  carnally  minded  is  [spir- 
itual] death ;  but  to  be  spiritually 
minded  is  life  and  peace."  "Now  if 
any  man  have  not  the  Spirit  of  Christ, 
he  is  none  of  his ; "  and,  "  if  so  be  that 
the  Spirit  of  God  dwell  in  you,"  then 
this  "  law  of  the  Spirit  of  life  in  Christ 
Jesus  hath  made  you  free  from  the  law 
of  sin  and  death."  How  any  man  can 
read  and  study  the  sixth  chapter  of  Ro- 
mans, where  Paul  proves  conclusively 
that  the  normal  state  of  spiritual  life 
presupposes  a  "  crucifixion  of  the  old 


42  The  Problem  of  Methodism. 

man"  and  a  "destruction  of  the  body 
of  sin  "  and  a  "death  to  sin,"  and  then 
hold  to  the  "residue  theory  of  regen- 
eration," is  simply  amazing!  And  how 
any  man  can  read  and  study  the  eighth 
chapter  of  Romans,  where  Paul  discuss- 
es the  "carnal  mind"  and  the  "spirit- 
ually minded,"  and  then  say  that  "  this 
carnal  mind  survives  the  work  of  re- 
generation, and  is  often  actively  rebell- 
ious in  the  hearts  of  real  Christians," 
is  a  mystery  that  transcends  the  enig- 
matical philosophy  of  the  Persians.  To 
be  able  to  expose  such  errors,  and  to  ex- 
plain those  mental  states  relied  on  to 
prove  them,  we  must  investigate  the 
laws  that  govern  our  twofold  nature  far 
enough  to  have  a  clear  view  of  the 
mental  states  involved  in  the  philoso- 
phy of  temptation. 

In  all  the  discussions  of  the  twofold 


The  Twofold  Nature  of  Man.  43 

nature  of  man  which  I  have  seen,  bear- 
ing on  the  "  residue  theory  of  regener- 
ation," several  important  facts  have 
been  ignored  or  overlooked.  The  ad- 
vancement that  has  been  made  in  men- 
tal science,  in  some  of  its  nicer  distinc- 
tions, since  Mr.  Wesley's  day,  puts  one 
on  vantage-ground  which  he  did  not 
occupy,  or  he  would  have  been  shocked 
at  the  very  thought  of  putting  "lust" 
in  the  catalogue  of  "  sin  in  believers ; " 
for  "  lust  is  an  inordinate  desire,"  and 
no  desire  can  become  inordinate  with- 
out the  sympathy  and  assent  of  the  will ; 
and,  therefore,  wherever  "lust"  exists, 
its  possessor  has  fallen  into  condemna- 
tion. (Matt.  v.  28.)  But  to  the  ignored 
or  overlooked  facts.  All  standard  au- 
thors on  mental  philosophy  divide  the 
sensibilities  into  two  classes — natural 
and   moral.     Under  the  term  "  natural 


44  The  Problem  of  Methodism. 

sensibilities  "  they  speak  of  natural  emo- 
tions and  desires;  and  under  the  term 
"  moral  sensibilities  "  they  speak  of  mor- 
al emotions  and  obligatory  feelings. 

Now,  it  is  in  the  natural  sensibilities 
that  we  find  a  class  of  mental  states 
that  connect  us  with  the  material  and 
outer  world,  perception  being  the  door 
of  communication.  These  sensibilities, 
being  natural,  have  no  moral  quality  in 
themselves,  but  they  form  the  basis  of 
every  solicitation  to  evil.  The  mind  is 
so  constituted  that  without  the  natural 
sensibilities — the  natural  emotions  and 
desires — we  cannot  see  how  any  man 
could  be  enticed  to  evil ;  but  with  these, 
we  can  see  how  even  the  Incarnate  Son 
of  God  could  be  "tempted  in  all  points 
like  as  we  are,"  and  how  he  could  "  suf- 
fer, being  tempted." 

As  the  natural  sensibilities  connect 


The  Twofold  Nature  of  Man.  45 

us  with  the  natural  world,  so  the  moral 
sensibilities  connect  us  with  the  spirit- 
ual world ;  and  these  form  the  basis  of 
all  religion.  In  these  we  find  man's 
capacity  to  be  religious ;  and  here  is  the 
region  where  the  fall  expended  its 
blighting  power.  The  effects  of  the  fall 
upon  the  natural  sensibilities  may  be 
accounted  for  largely  in  their  excessive 
indulgence,  growing  out  of  the  absence 
of  a  moral  or  spiritual  power  to  control 
and  direct  them.  But  when  we  enter 
the  moral  nature  of  man,  we  find  a  pict- 
ure answering  to  the  one  drawn  by  the 
pencil  of  inspiration  to  represent  fallen, 
depraved  humanity. 

Now,  as  sin  has  done  its  fearful  Avork 
in  man's  moral  and  spiritual  nature,  so 
here  is  the  place  for  the  work  of  resto- 
ration to  be  expected  and  the  work  of 
cleansing  to  be  sought.    We  do  not  deny 


46  The  Problem,  of  Methodism. 

that  the  entire  man  will  feel  the  ef- 
fects of  this  restoration,  when  the  soul 
is  "renewed  according  to  the  divine 
pattern  in  righteousness  and  true  holi- 
ness;" for  this  restores  order  to  the 
mind,  puts  the  will  upon  its  throne,  and 
gives  it  power  to  resist  every  solicita- 
tion to  evil,  and  to  "reject"  and  "mor- 
tify "  the  desires  excited  and  drawn  out 
toward  forbidden  objects.  But  to  say 
that  the  natural  sensibilities  are  to  be 
so  "  crucified  "  as  not  to  be  stirred  and 
enkindled  by  a  pleasing  or  a  desirable 
object,  implies  their  utter  destruction. 
To  say  that  they  may  be  dead  to  all 
evil  but  alive  to  all  good  will  not  re- 
move the  difficulty,  for  their  being  nat- 
ural and  not  moral  faculties  makes  no 
distinction — they  are  simply  pleased 
at  whatever  is  pleasing  and  desire  what- 
ever is  desirable,  and  the  moral  facul- 


The  Twofold  Nature  of  Man.  47 

ties  must  detect  the  evil  and  the  will 
reject  the  wrong. 

This  brings  us  to  consider  the  mental 
states  involved  in  temptation — a  subject 
about  which  much  has  been  written, 
and  which  is  intimately  connected  with 
any  theory  of  the  divine  life,  but  espe- 
cially with  the  "residue  theory  of  re- 
generation" and  the  "second  change 
theory  of  sanctification."  George  Bell 
and  Thomas  Maxfield,  who  were  the 
first  of  Mr.  Wesley's  lay  preachers  to 
profess  sanctification  as  a  "  second 
change,"  soon  professed  to  have  become 
so  holy  as  to  be  "  free  from  temptation." 
These  enthusiasts  and  their  successors 
failed  to  see  that  probation  implies  trial, 
and  trial  implies  temptation,-  and  there- 
fore temptation  must  exist  as  long  as 
probation  lasts. 

But  there  are  others  who  admit  that 


48  The  Problem  of  Methodism. 

no  state  of  grace  in  this  life  will  free  us 
from  temptation,  yet  they  so  confound 
temptation  and  sin  that  they  are  con- 
stantly seeking  exemption  from  the  for- 
mer under  the  name  of  the  latter. 
These  errorists  have  pressed  the  doc- 
trine of  self-crucifixion  so  far  that,  if 
they  could  live  up  to  their  theory,  they 
would  be  incapable  of  feeling  any  solic- 
itation to  evil,  and  hence  would  be  be- 
yond the  reach  of  temptation.  The 
only  way  to  clear  up  this  confusion  is 
to  so  analyze  the  mental  states  involved 
in  temptation  as  to  be  able  to  locate 
the  exact  point  at  which  temptation 
ends  and  sin  begins. 

Now  there  can  be  no  temptation  (in 
the  sense  of  a  solicitation  to  evil)  unless 
the  solicitation  is  brought  ultimately  to 
press  upon  the  will.  The  will  is  the 
great  umpire  of  the  mind ;  and  every 


The  Twofold  Nature  of  Man.  49 

solicitation  to  evil  must  come  to  this 
tribunal  before  it  can  be  regarded  a 
temptation.  There  are  some  prelimi- 
nary steps;  but  there  is  a  principle 
upon  which  the  temptation  presses — 
around  which  the  force  of  the  solicita- 
tion gathers  and  enters  into  contest — 
and  that  principle  is  the  will. 

Now  we  can  only  reach  the  will  from 
without  through  perception,  the  natural 
emotions,  and  desires.  For  instance,  a 
man  perceives  a  forbidden  object,  which 
is  pleasing  to  his  natural  sensibilities ; 
this  stirs  his  emotions  and  enkindles 
his  desires,  and  the  desires  press  upon 
the  will  for  its  concurrence ;  then,  and 
not  till  then,  does  the  solicitation  be- 
come a  temptation.  The  mental  process 
in  temptation,  therefore,  is  from  per- 
ception to  emotions,  from  emotions  to 

desires,  and  from  desires  to  the  will. 
4 


50  The  Problem  of  Methodism. 

Let  us  compare  this  analysis  of  temp- 
tation with  the  Word  of  God:  "And 
when  the  woman  saw  that  the  tree  was 
good  for  food,  and  it  was  pleasant  to  the 
eyes,  and  a  tree  to  be  desired  to  make 
one  wise,  she  took  of  the  fruit  thereof 
and  did  eat."  (Gen.  iii.  6.)  Here  we 
have  the  whole  process,  step  by  step, 
from  perception  to  volition,  of  a  success- 
ful temptation,  and  it  agrees  with  our 
analysis  in  every  particular. 

In  James  i.  14,  15  we  find  the  exact 
point  where  temptation  ends  and  sin 
begins.  We  give  Mr.  Wesley's  trans- 
lation of  this  important  text :  "  Every 
man  is  tempted  when  he  is  drawn  away 
of  his  own  desire  and  enticed  [so  far  it 
is  a  temptation].  Then  when  desire 
hath  conceived  [gained  the  assent  of  the 
will]  it  bringeth  forth  sin."  That  is 
clear.     The  "man  is  tempted  when  he 


The  Twofold  Nature  of  Man.  51 

is  drawn  away  of  his  own  desire  and 
enticed ;  "  the  solicitation,  then,  must  be 
addressed  to  the  will,  or  it  is  no  temp- 
tation at  all,  and  the  will  is  reached 
through  perception,  the  emotions,  and 
the  desires.  It  follows,  then,  that  the  stir- 
rings of  the  emotions  and  the  enkin- 
dlings  of  the  desires,  aside  from  the  con- 
currence of  the  will,  have  no  more  moral 
quality  than  the  pulsations  of  the  heart. 
The  one  is  the  natural  process  for  cir- 
culating the  blood ;  the  other  is  the  nat- 
ural process  of  a  temptation.  And  yet 
a  large  class  of  good  men  so  confound 
temptation  with  sin — the  enkindlings  of 
desire  with  the  acts  of  the  will — that 
every  time  they  are  severely  tempted 
— "drawn  away  of  their  own  desires 
and  enticed  " — they  imagine  that  they 
have  sinned.  Hence,  they  are  seeking 
a  state  of  grace  in  this  life  in  which 


52  The  Problem  of  Methodism, 

their  emotions  and  desires  will  never  be 
stirred  or  enticed  by  a  forbidden  object. 
They  might  as  well  seek  a  state  of  ani- 
mal life  in  which  the  heart  will  cease 
to  throb  and  the  machinery  of  life  con- 
tinue to  move.  This  is  the  class  of  er- 
rorists  who  cry  aloud  for  a  complete 
self-crucifixion — such  a  crucifixion  as 
would  destroy  instead  of  regulate  and  con- 
trol all  the  lower  affinities  of  our  two- 
fold nature.  This  is  the  error  which 
has  produced  nearly  all  the  fanatics 
who  have  bewildered  one-half  of  the 
Church  on  the  subject  of  sanctification, 
and  disgusted  the  other  half  by  their 
wild  vagaries  ;  and  this  is  the  error  that 
built  all  the  monasteries  and  nunneries 
of  the  Dark  Ages,  and  which  has  led 
thousands  to  self-contempt — a  crime  as 
pernicious  as  pride ! 

"But,  is  there  no  state  of  grace  in 


The  Twofold  Nature  of  Man.  53 

this  life  in  which  we  are  saved  from 
evil  desires  ?  "  Yes ;  but  no  desire  can 
be  evil  or  become  a  lust  without  the 
sympathy  and  concurrence  of  the  will. 
Up  to  the  point  where  a  man  is  "  drawn 
away  of  his  own  desire  and  enticed" 
the  solicitation  is  a  temptation ;  but 
temptation  resisted  and  foiled  is  nei- 
ther an  evil  nor  a  sin.  We  cannot  con- 
ceive how  any  being  can  sin  except  as 
a  moral  agent,  and  we  cannot  see  how  a 
moral  agent  can  sin  aside  from  voli- 
tion. 

Again,  we  may  reach  the  will  from 
the  opposite  direction — from  within — 
by  another  road.  We  said  that  there 
is  another  class  of  emotions  belomrino; 
to  the  mind,  called  the  moral  emotions. 
These  are  followed  by  feelings  of  moral 
obligation.  Desires  are  founded  on  the 
natural  emotions,  while  the  obligatory 


54  The  Problem  of  Methodism. 

feelings  are  based  exclusively  on  the 
moral  emotions.  But  the  desires  agree 
with  the  obligatory  feelings  in  being  in 
direct  contact  with  the  volitive  power ; 
so  that  the  will,  in  making  up  its  final 
decision,  takes  immediate  notice  of  only 
the  desires,  on  the  one  hand,  and  the 
interdictions  of  the  obligatory  feelings 
on  the  other ;  and  in  every  temptation 
these  two  classes  of  mental  states  stand 
before  the  will  in  direct  and  fierce  op- 
position to  each  other.  In  the  cravings 
of  desire  and  the  interdictions  of  obli- 
gation we  have  the  basis  of  an  inter- 
nal conflict  that  may  be  renewed  every 
day  and  every  hour.  These  two  oppos- 
ing principles  were  shut  up  together  in 
our  twofold  nature  as  it  came  from  the 
hand  of  its  Creator,  and  they  are  des- 
tined to  renew  the  conflict  with  every 
new  temptation  during  life.     To  try  to 


The  Twofold  Nature  of  Man.  55 

escape  it  is  to  try  to  put  ourselves  be- 
yond the  sphere  of  temptation  and  to 
close  up  our  state  of  probation. 

As  we  shall  show  farther  on,  not  a 
few  mental  states,  which  have  been 
called  the  "remains  of  the  carnal 
mind,"  "inbred  sin,"  and  "sin  in  be- 
lievers," are  nothing  more  than  the 
consciousness  of  this  internal  conflict 
which  always  accompanies  a  severe 
temptation,  but  is  more  keenly  felt  in 
the  early  part  of  the  Christian  life  on 
account  of  the  force  of  old  habits.  The 
idea  that  religion,  at  regeneration  or 
afterward,  does  something  for  us  that 
so  destroys  our  natural  sensibilities  as 
to  make  them  no  longer  susceptible  of 
being  "  enticed  "  by  evil,  has  been  the 
source  of  untold  agony  among  those 
who  have  tried  to  reach  such  a  state. 
I  have  known  more  than  one  mind  de- 


56  The  Problem  of  Methodism. 

throned  by  a  failure  to  reach  this  im- 
possible state. 

It  is  time  that  the  Christian  world, 
and  especially  all  Christian  teachers, 
were  learning  that  whatever  grace  does 
for  us  is  done  according  to  the  fixed 
laws  of  the  mind,  and  not  by  setting 
these  laws  aside  or  by  destroying  any 
part  of  our  twofold  nature.  For  the 
want  of  recognizing  this  fact  many 
have  been  led  to  believe  that  they  had 
the  "  former  corruption  of  the  heart  re- 
maining in  them  and  striving  for  the 
mastery,"  when  in  reality  they  had 
only  "  suffered,  being  tempted,"  as  did 
their  divine  Master  before  them.  The 
remedy  in  all  such  cases  is  not  to  be 
found  in  the  conclusion  that  sin  is  una- 
voidable, nor  in  the  idea  that  regenera- 
tion is  a  "partial  renovation,"  leaving  a 
"residue  of  sin  within  us,"  but  in  re- 


The  Twofold  Nature  of  Man.  57 

jecting  the  temptation.  These  sensi- 
bilities, through  which  the  temptation 
makes  its  approach,  belong  to  and  are 
inseparable  from  the  constitution  of 
man.  The  fact  that  we  are  commanded 
to  "  make  no  provision  for  the  flesh,  to 
fulfill  the  desires  thereof,"  is  proof  pos- 
itive that  the  flesh  is  not  to  be  so  cru- 
cified as  to  destroy  its  susceptibility  of 
being  "  enticed ;  "  for  without  that  sus- 
ceptibility we  could  not  be  tempted  of 
evil.  And  the  fact  that  we  may  be 
"tempted  without  sin"  is  proof  that 
the  stirrings  of  the  emotions  and  the 
enkindlings  of  the  desires,  aside  from 
the  concurrence  of  the  will,  are  not  sin- 
ful ;  neither  are  they  any  proof  that  the 
"  former  corruptions  of  the  heart  re- 
main in  those  who  are  regenerated." 

Prof.  B.  B.  Edwards  says :  "  To  say 
that  all  excitement  of  these  suscepti- 


58  The  Problem  of  Methodism. 

bilities  is  itself  sin  is  to  say  that  there 
is  no  difference  between  voluntary  and 
involuntary  desires ;  it  is  to  say  that 
sin  is  unavoidable.  To  admit,  however, 
that  the  excitement  of  these  suscepti- 
bilities is  not  in  itself  a  sin  and,  unless 
they  be  indulged  by  the  will,  leaves  the 
being  as  holy  as  ever,  is  merely  to  ad- 
mit that  there  is  such  a  thing  possible 
as  the  temptation  of  a  being  who  re- 
mains sinless." 

St.  James  says:  "Let  no  man  say 
when  he  is  tempted,  I  am  tempted  of 
God :  for  God  cannot  be  tempted  with 
evil,  neither  tempteth  he  any  man  :  but 
every  man  is  tempted,  when  he  is  drawn 
away  of  his  own  desire  and  enticed. 
Then  when  desire  hath  conceived  it 
bringeth  forth  sin."  (James  i.  13,  14, 
15.)  In  this  delicate  figure  St.  James 
represents  desire,   even   under   entice- 


The  Twofold  Nature  of  Man.  59 

ment,  as  preserving  virgin  purity  until 
defiled  by  volition. 

We  now  have  the  key  to  unlock  the 
mysteries  of  the  most  obscure  and  dif- 
ficult passages  in  Mr.  Wesley's  works 
— especially  that  mysterious  sermon  on 
"  Sin  in  Believers."  But  we  must  de- 
fer the  investigation  of  that  sermon 
until  the  next  chapter.  There  are  ex- 
pressions in  other  books,  which  may  be 
noticed  now,  which  the  authors  would 
never  have  made  if  they  had  under- 
stood the  twofold  nature  of  man  and  the 
philosophy  of  temptation. 

Dr.  J.  Dempster  says :    "  Regenera-  • 
tion  admits  of  controlled  tendencies  to 
sin;    entire     sanctification     extirpates 
those  tendencies." 

Now  these  "controlled  tendencies  to 
sin  "  in  a  regenerated  soul  are  nothing 
more  than  a  consciousness  of  the  natu- 


60  The  Problem  of  Methodism. 

ral  "  desires  being  drawn  out  and  en- 
ticed," which,  according  to  St.  James, 
is  the  very  essence  of  temptation.  To 
u  extirpate  these  tendencies "  would 
simply  destroy  man's  essential  nature, 
and  put  him  where  he  "could  not  be 
tempted  of  evil " — a  perfection  which 
belongs  to  God,  and  not  to  man. 

Dr.  D.  Curry  says :  "  This  carnal 
mind  survives  the  work  of  regeneration, 
and  is  often  actively  rebellious  in  the 
hearts  of  real  Christians."  The  learned 
doctor  would  hardly  have  said  that  if 
he  had  taken  off  his  theological  spec- 
tacles when  he  read  Paul  on  the  "car- 
nal mind  "  and  the  "  spiritually  mind- 
ed," "the  natural  man"  and  "the 
spiritual  man,"  "the  old  man"  and 
"  the  new  man."  That  "  real  Chris- 
tians "  often  feel  the  uprisings  of  desire 
creating  a  fierce  conflict  within  is  very 


The  Twofold  Nature  of  Man.  61 

true;  even  the  holy  "Jesus  suffered, 
being  tempted."  But  no  man  was  ever 
a  "real  Christian"  and  had  the  "car- 
nal mind  in  his  heart"  at  the  same 
time.  To  say  that  the  "  carnal  mind 
survives  the  work  of  regeneration"  is 
to  say  that  a  regenerated  man  is  not 
reconciled  to  God,  "  because  the  carnal 
mind  is  enmity  against  God;"  and 
wherever  it  exists  it  exists  in  a  state  of 
"  active  rebellion,"  for  "it  is  not  subject 
to  the  law  of  God,  neither  indeed  can 
be."  Hence,  regeneration  either  "de- 
stro}'S  the  body  of  sin" — "the  carnal 
mind" — or  else  it  fails  to  reconcile  us  to 
God.  This  "  carnal  mind  "  is  the  "  law 
of  sin  and  death  that  reigns  in  the  un- 
regenerate,"  and  from  which,  Paul  af- 
firms, "the  law  of  the  Spirit  of  life  in 
Christ  Jesus  makes  us  free;"  and  "if 
the  Son  make  you  free,  you  shall  be  free 


62  The  Problem  of  Methodism. 

indeed:  "  but  "  if  any  man  have  not  this 
Spirit  of  life  in  Christ  Jesus,  he  is  none 
of  his."  If  Paul  had  written  the  sixth 
and  eighth  chapters  of  Romans  to  over- 
throw the  "  residue  theory  of  regenera- 
tion," he  could  not  have  made  his  ar- 
guments stronger  or  his  points  clearer. 

Dr.  Luther  Lee  says :  "  There  is  still 
a  warfare  within ;  there  will  be  found 
an  opposing  element  in  the  sensibilities 
of  the  soul,  which,  though  it  no  longer 
controls  the  will,  often  rebels  against  it 
and  refuses  to  obey  it.  .  .  .  This 
must  be  brought  into  harmony  with  the 
sanctified  will  before  the  whole  soul  can 
be  said  to  be  sanctified.  When  this 
work  is  wrought,  then  the  war  within 
will  cease." 

Now  the  Doctor's  "  warfare  within  " 
— his  "  opposing  element  in  the  sensi- 
bility of  the  soul  " — is  the  very  essence 


The  Twofold  Nature  of  Man.  63 

of  temptation,  and  is  realized  to  a  great- 
er or  less  degree  in  every  solicitation  to 
evil ;  it  was  thus  that  "  Christ  suffered, 
being  tempted."  Hence,  to  destroy  this 
"sensibility  of  the  soul,"  so  that  the 
"  war  within  will  cease,"  is  to  put  us  be- 
yond the  susceptibility  of  being  tempt- 
ed. Hence,  Dr.  Knapp  truly  says: 
"  The  desires  of  man  are  not  in  them- 
selves and  abstractly  considered  sinful, 
for  they  are  deep  laid  in  the  constitu- 
tion which  God  has  given  to  human  nat- 
ure; and  they  arise  in  man  involunta- 
rily, and  so  far  cannot  be  imputed  to 
him."  And  Prof.  Stuart  goes  farther 
and  says :  "  With  the  deepest  reverence 
I  say  it:  The  Lord  Jesus  Christ  himself 
had  a  susceptibility  of  feeling  the  power  of 
enticement  to  sin,  like  that  which  Adam 
had  before  the  fall.  If  not,  then  he  did 
not  really  and  truly  take  on  him  human 

£0FFQRD  COLLEGE  LIBRARY 


64  The.  Problem  of  Methodism. 

nature.  The  fact  that  such  a  state  of 
susceptibility  belonged  to  Adam  in  his 
primitive  state  shows  that  it  belongs 
to  human  nature  in  its  perfect  probation- 
ary state."  ("  Bib.  Repos.,"  1839.)  An- 
other able  divine  has  said :  "  It  was  in 
this  way  that  the  temptation  of  Christ 
caused  suffering ;  he  suffered  from  the 
force  of  desire.  Though  there  was  no 
hesitation  whether  to  obey  or  not,  no 
strife  in  the  will,  yet  in  the  act  of  mas- 
tery there  was  pain.  There  was  self -de- 
nial; there  was  obedience  at  the  ex- 
pense of  tortured  natural  feeling ;  'Jesus 
suffered,  being  tempted.'  He  'was 
tempted  like  as  we  are;1  remember  this, 
for  the  way  in  which  some  speak  of  the 
sinlessness  of  Jesus  reduces  all  his  suf- 
fering to  physical  pain,  destroys  the 
reality  of  temptation,  reduces  that  glo- 
rious heart  to  a  pretense,  and  converts 


The,  Twofold  Nature  of  Man.  65 

the  whole  of  his  history  into  a  mere  fic- 
titious drama,  in  which  scenes  of  trial: 
were  represented,  not  felt!  " 

Once  more:  Rev.  Wm,  Bramwell,  in. 
a  letter  to  a  friend,  says:  "An  idea  is 
going  forth  that  when  we  are  justified; 
we  are  entirely  sanctified,  and  that  to 
feel  evil  nature  after  justification  is  to 
lose  pardon.  You  may  depend  upon  it, , 
this  is  the  devil's  great  gun.  We  shall 
have  much  trouble  with  this,  and  I  am 
afraid  we  cannot  suppress  it." 

The  above  paragraph  is  a  remarkablef 
utterance  in  itself;  but  to  see  the  use 
that  certain  writers  have  made  of  it  is, 
still  more  remarkable.  Now  the  phrase,: 
"  to  feel  evil  nature  after  justification  is 
to  lose  pardon,"  is  exceedingly  equivo- 
cal. If  he  means  by  "feeling  evil  nat-: 
ure  "  that  the  justified  believer's  nature; 

has  become  evil  by  voluntary  yielding 
5 


66  The  Problem  of  Methodism. 

to  temptation,  then  there  can  be  no  con- 
troversy about  "pardon  being  lost." 
But  if  he  means  by  "feeling  evil  nat- 
ure" the  susceptibility  of  feeling  en- 
ticement to  sin,  then,  so  far  from  that 
forfeiting  pardon,  no  state  of  grace  in 
this  life  will  free  us  from  that  suscepti- 
bility. So  the  "devil's  great  gun"  is 
spiked  by  drawing  the  line  between 
temptation  and  sin — between  the  sus- 
ceptibility to  feel  enticement  to  evil  and 
the  will  yielding  to  the  solicitation. 
From  the  above  extract  from  Mr. 
Bramwell's  letters,  and  one  or  two  re- 
marks of  Mr.  Wesley,  we  believe  if 
those  who  contended  in  that  day  that 
regeneration  and  sanctification  are  co- 
etaneous  had  drawn  the  line  between 
temptation  and  sin — had  drawn  it  clear- 
ly and  sharply — then  the  "residue  the- 
ory "  would  never  have  been  so  gener- 


The  Twofold  Nature  of  Man.    •       67 

ally  received.  The  truth  is,  both  schools 
of  theologians  of  that  day  frequently 
confounded  temptation  and  sin.  The 
one  class  called  it  "  inbred  sin,"  the  "  re- 
mains of  the  carnal  mind,"  which,  said 
they,  does  not  forfeit  pardon,  but  makes 
a  "  second  change  necessary."  The 
other  class  contended  that  sin  was  sin, 
and  that  where  sin  actually  existed 
pardon  was  forfeited.  They  were  both 
right  and  both  wrong.  Every  sin  after 
justification  forfeits  pardon,  but  temp- 
tation is  not  sin.  There  are  thousands 
of  cases  where  not  only  a  "  second 
cleansing"  is  necessary,  but  a  third,  a 
fourth,  and,  in  some  cases,  one  hundred 
"cleansings"  and  "blessings"  will  be 
received  during  life;  but  in  all  such 
cases  the  "foundation  for  repentance" 
and  a  "second  cleansing"  originated 
"from  dead  works"  and  "defiled  gar- 


68  The  Problem  of  Methodism. 

merits,"  and  the  loss  of  their  "first 
love,"  and  not  because  "  regeneration 
is  a  partial  renovation  " — all  of  which 
will  be  made  clear  as  we  advance  in 
this  investigation.  But  having  capt- 
ured and  spiked  the  "devil's  great  gun" 
we  will  stop  and  rest,  and  renew  the 
battle  in  the  next  chapter. 


CHAPTER  III. 
"Sin  in  Believers." 

Our  respect  for  Mr.  Wesley  is  pro- 
found. He  did  more  than  any  other 
one  man  to  clear  up  the  muddy  theolo- 
gy of  the  Dark  Ages.  If  he  failed  to 
harmonize  his  theory  of  the  divine  life 
at  some  points,  he  did  more  than  any 
other  man  of  modern  times — Luther  not 
excepted — to  quicken  that  life  in  the 
souls  of  men.  When  he  "saw,  from 
reading  the  Bible,  that  he  could  not  be 
saved  without  holiness,"  if  he  had  ex- 
purgated the  "residue  theory  of  regen- 
eration "  from  his  Creed,  as  he  finally  ex- 
purgated it  from  the  Creed  he  prepared 
for  the  Methodist  Church  of  America, 
his  body  of  divinity  would  have  been 

the  most  harmonious  and  Biblical  ever 

(69) 


70  The  Problem  of  Methodism. 

given  to  the  world.  But  that  "  dead  fly 
in  his  pot  of  precious  ointment"  has 
been  the  source  of  confusion  in  doctrine 
and  experience  through  all  the  history 
of  Methodism.  None  but  those  who 
have  read  his  "  Journals  "  for  that  ex- 
press purpose  have  any  correct  idea  of 
the  amount  of  trouble  and  confusion  this 
"residue  theory"  brought  upon  Mr. 
Wesley.  A  few,  and  only  a  few,  know 
something  of  the  magnitude  of  the 
trouble  and  confusion  it  has  introduced 
into  the  theology  and  experience  of 
American  Methodism  ;  and  we  fear  the 
end  is  not  yet. 

As  much  as  Mr.  Wesley  wrote,  he 
never  wrote  any  thing  so  at  war  with 
the  fundamental  principles  of  the  divine 
life,  as  taught  and  explained  by  himself 
and  set  forth  in  the  Word  of  God,  as 
what  he  wrote  in  defense  of  "  Sin  in 


"Sin  in  Believers."  71 

Believers."  Starting  from  the  stand- 
point of  the  Ninth  Article  of  the  Church 
of  England,  instead  of  the  Bible,  he 
failed  to  see  that  all  the  mental  states 
he  describes,  as  well  as  the  Scripture 
texts  he  quotes,  can  be  accounted  for 
and  explained  without  adopting  the 
"  residue  theory."  No  one  can  careful- 
ly read  the  first  part  of  the  sermon  on 
"  Sin  in  Believers  "  without  being  im- 
pressed with  the  fact  that  Mr.  Wesley, 
more  under  the  influence  of  the  "  re- 
mains of  High-churchism  "  than  under 
a  consciousness  of  the  "  remains  of  the 
carnal  mind,"  regarded  the  "residue 
theory"  as  being  settled  by  Church  au- 
thority; and,  as  a  loyal  son  of  the  Church, 
he  went  to  work  to  defend  this  dogma 
(against  the  teachings  of  Count  Zinzen- 
dorf )  by  appealing  to  the  canons  of  the 
Church,  the  Fathers,  and  such  Scripture 


72  The  Problem  of  Methodism. 

texts  as  might  bear  such  application. 
If  any  thing  had  quietly  led  him  to 
suspect  that  a  great  error  was  couched 
in  this  dogma  of  the  Church  he  would 
have  rejected  it,  as  he  did  the  dogmas 
of  "apostolic  succession"  and  "bap- 
tismal regeneration."  We  are  con- 
firmed in  this  opinion  by  the  fact  that 
Mr.  Wesley  did  finally  reject  this  dogma 
so  far  as  to  cut  it  out  of  the  Articles  of 
Faith  prepared  for  the  Church  to  be  organ- 
ized in  America  ! 

But  to  return:  While  Mr.  Wesley 
was  intensely  engaged  in  reviving  prim- 
itive Christianity  as  a  living  power  in 
the  soul — preaching  holiness  of  heart 
and  life  everywhere  he  went — Messrs. 
Bell,  Maxfield,  and  others  in  the  Society 
in  London  came  forward  and  testified 
that  they  had  found  this  Bible  holiness, 
having  received  "  sanctification  "  as  a 


"Sin  in  Believers."  73 

"  second  change."  As  this  opened  the 
way  to  reach  the  great  object  for  which 
he  groaned  (Bible  holiness),  without  col- 
liding with  the  Ninth  Article  of  the 
Church,  Mr.  Wesley  accepted  the  testi- 
mony of  these  witnesses  on  the  one 
hand,  and  the  "  residue  "  dogma  of  the 
Church  on  the  other  hand,  and  thus  he 
was  committed  to  the  "residue  theory 
of  regeneration "  and  the  "  second 
change  theory  of  sanctification ; "  and 
his  sermons  on  "  Sin  in  Believers  "  and 
"The  Repentance  of  Believers  "  were  an 
earnest  effort  of  a  great  mind  and  a 
ripe  scholar  to  harmonize  these  two 
theories  with  Christian  experience  and 
the  teaching  of  the  Bible.  But  he 
failed;  and  if  John  Wesley  failed,  there 
must  be  a  great  error  hid  away  in  one 
or  both  of  these  "theories." 

To  see  such  a  man  as  Mr.  Wesley — 


74  The  Problem  of  Methodism. 

learned,  clear,  and  logical  on  all  other 
subjects — struggling,  floundering,  first 
on  this  side,  now  on  that  side  of  his 
subject,  is  one  of  the  saddest  scenes  in 
the  life  of  that  great  man.  Have  I 
made  it  too  strong?  Let  us  see.  On 
this  side  he  says :  "  We  allow  that  the 
state  of  a  justified  person  is  inexpress- 
ibly great  and  glorious.  .  .  .  He 
is  created  anew  in  Christ  Jesus ;  he  is 
washed ;  he  is  sanctified.  His  heart  is 
purified  by  faith  ;  he  is  cleansed  from  the 
corruption  that  is  in  the  world."  "  To 
be  born  again  is  to  be  inwardly  changed 
from  all  sinfulness  to  all  holiness."  Now 
on  the  other  side  he  says :  "  If  there  be 
no  such  second  change  after  justification, 
.  .  .  then  we  must  be  content,  as 
well  as  we  can,  to  remain  full  of  sin  till 
death;  and,  if  so,  we  must  remain  guilty 
till  death,  continually  deserving  punish- 


11  Sin  in  Believers."  75 

ment."  Now,  I  submit  that  any  "the- 
ory" of  the  divine  life  that  involved 
such  a  man  as  Mr.  Wesley  in  such  ab- 
surdities and  self-contradictions  as  the 
above  must  be  at  war  with  reason, 
common  sense,  and  the  Word  of  God ! 

There  is  much  in  the  writings  of 
Wesley,  Fletcher,  Clarke,  and  Watson 
which  will  quadrate  with  the  Ninth  Ar- 
ticle of  the  Church  of  England,  from 
which  stand-point  they  all  wrote ;  but  I 
thank  God  from  the  depths  of  my  soul 
that  this  "residue"  dogma  was  never 
in  the  Articles  of  Faith  of  either  branch 
of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church  in 
America.  "  But  it  is  in  our  standard 
works  on  theology."  True;  and  it  is 
in  a  great  many  more  that  are  not 
"  standard  works ;  "  but  it  is  equally 
true  that  all  these  "standard  authors," 
in  defining  the  new  birth,  have  admitted 

#QFF0RD  COLLEGE  LIBRARY 


76  The  Problem  of  Methodism. 

and  affirmed  every  thing  we  contend 
for  in  regeneration.  Hence,  we  not  only 
have  our  Articles  of  Faith  on  our  side, 
but,  if  the  language  of  the  Fathers — 
the  authority  of  the  "standards" — is 
worth  any  thing,  it  is  worth  as  much  to 
us  as  to  those  who  hold  to  the  "  residue 
theory."  When  doctors  and  masters 
differ  the  pupils  can  take  either  side. 
If  Mr.  Wesley  and  the  other  Fathers 
of  Methodism  adopted  a  "theory" 
which  they  could  not  harmonize  with 
itself,  nor  reconcile  with  the  plain  teach- 
ing of  the  Word  of  God,  nor  with  their 
own  expositions  of  that  Word — exposi- 
tions given  by  them  when  they  were 
searching  for  the  mind  of  the  Spirit,  as 
expressed  in  the  language  of  the  text 
in  the  light  of  the  context — shall  we 
adopt  the  said  "theory"  or  decide  with 
the  Bible  and  the  unbiased  expositions 


"Sin  in  Believers."  77 

of  the  Bible  given  by  these  aforesaid 
Fathers  ?  One  had  about  as  well  go  to 
our  Articles  of  Faith,  after  Mr.  Wesley 
completed  his  work  of  expurgation,  to 
find  the  "residue  theory,"  as  to  search 
for  it  in  Clarke's  "Commentary"  and 
Wesley's  "Notes  on  the  New  Testa- 
ment." Mr.  Wesley's  sermons  on  "  Sin 
in  Believers  "  and  the  "  Repentance  of 
Believers  "  were  both  written  and  pub- 
lished under  peculiar  circumstances,  to 
meet  the  follies  and  excesses  of  Bell, 
Maxfield,  and  their  followers.  Dr.  J.  T. 
Crane,  who  has  looked  up  all  the  facts 
and  dates,  says :  "  Bell  and  the  other 
enthusiasts  professed  to  have  become 
so  holy  that  they  were  out  of  the  reach 
of  temptation,  and  denounced  all  who 
failed  to  attain  the  same  fancied  heights. 
Not  content  with  a  '  second '  work  of 
grace,  by  which,  as  they  claimed,  their 


78  The  Problem  of  Methodism. 

hearts  were  wholly  purified  from  evil 
tempers,  they  began  to  profess  a  'third,1 
by  which  their  minds,  as  they  said,  were 
lifted  above  the  reach  of  evil  thoughts. 
Wesley's  sermon  on  *  Sin  in  Believers ' 
was  designed  to  be  a  refutation  of  these 
unscriptural  notions."  Yet,  in  reading 
the  books  and  periodicals  published  in 
this  country  in  the  interest  of  the  "  res- 
idue theory,"  one  would  almost  be  led 
to  conclude  that  when  "our  standards" 
are  referred  to,  one  or  the  other  of 
these  sermons  is  the  document  intended. 
Such  importance  being  given  to  these 
two  sermons,  it  becomes  necessary  in 
this  investigation  to  give  them  a  thor- 
ough examination.  But  before  I  begin 
this  analysis  let  me  call  attention  to 
two  significant  historical  facts.  First, 
in  1784,  only  seven  years  before  his 
death,  Mr.  Wesley  rejected  the  "  resi- 


"Sin  in  Believers."  79 

due  theory  "  so  far  as  to  cut  it  out  of 
our  Articles  of  Faith.  Second,  in  1785, 
one  year  later,  he  published  his  sermon 
on  "  Perfection,"  in  which  he  says  not 
a  word  about  "  inbred  sin "  or  "  the 
seeds  of  sin  in  believers."  Add  a  third 
fact:  In  1763,  over  twenty-eight  years 
before  his  death,  he  published  his  ser- 
mon on  "  Sin  in  Believers,"  under  the 
peculiar  circumstances  already  de- 
scribed. I  leave  these  facts  with  the 
reader  for  the  present. 

I  have  selected  four  paragraphs  from 
the  two  sermons  referred  to ;  and  as 
these  paragraphs  have  been  transcribed 
into  all  the  books  and  periodicals  print- 
ed in  the  interest  of  the  "residue  theo- 
ry of  regeneration"  and  the  "second 
change  theory  of  sanctification ;  "  and 
as  these  paragraphs  state  these  two 
theories  as  strongly  as  language  can — 


80  The  Problem  of  Methodism. 

being  the  key-note  of  all  the  modern 
writers  of  this  school — I  hope  their  se- 
lection will  be  satisfactory.  After  we 
have  examined  them  in  the  light  of  the 
facts  brought  out  in  the  last  chapter, 
we  will  examine  proof-texts. 

Mr.  Wesley  says :  (1)  "  That  [justi- 
fied] believers  are  delivered  from  the 
guilt  and  power  of  sin  we  allow ;  that 
they  are  delivered  from  its  being  we 
deny."  (2)  "Christ  indeed  cannot 
reign  where  sin  reigns;  neither  will  he 
dwell  where  any  sin  is  allowed.  But 
he  is  and  dwells  in  the  heart  of  every 
believer  who  is  fighting  against  all  sin, 
although  the  heart  be  not  yet  purified." 
(Ser.  XIII.) 

What  Mr.  Wesley  means  by  the  "be- 
ing of  sin"  and  a  "heart  not  yet  puri- 
fied" is.  the  "infection  of  our  nature," 
which  the  Ninth  Article  says  "remains 


"Sin  in  Believers."  81 

in  them  that  are  regenerated.  .  .  . 
And  although  there  is  no  condemnation 
for  them  that  believe,  yet  this  corruption 
hath  of  itself  the  nature  of  sin."  Hence, 
Mr.  Wesley  calls  it  "inbred  sin,"  in- 
dwelling sin,"  the  "  being  of  sin."  Paul 
calls  it  "  the  old  man,"  "  body  of  sin," 
"  sin  that  dwelleth  in  "  the  "  carnal "  or 
"  natural  man,"  "  the  law  of  sin  which 
was  in  my  members,"  when  he  "was 
carnal,  sold  under  sin,"  "the  law  of  sin 
and  death,"  and  "the  carnal  mind." 
Now  the  difference  between  Paul  and 
the  Ninth  Article  of  the  Church  of 
England  is  that  Paul  used  every  one  of 
these  terms  to  describe  the  condition  of 
the  unregenerated  man,  while  the  Ninth 
Article  applies  them  to  the  regenerated 
believer;  and  Mr.  Wesley,  like  a  loyal 
Churchman,  followed  the  Article  of 
Faith  instead  of  Paul !     And  hundreds 


82  The  Problem  of  Methodism. 

in  this  country  have  followed  Mr.  Wes- 
ley! The  difference  between  St.  Paul 
and  Mr.  Wesley  is  that  Paul  says  that 
"the  old  man  is  crucified,"  the  "body 
of  sin  is  destroyed,"  and  that  we  are 
"  made  free  from  the  law  of  sin  and 
death,"  when  we  "put  off  the  old  man 
and  put  on  the  new  man,  which,  accord- 
ing to  the  divine  pattern,  is  created  in 
righteousness  and  true  holiness ;  "  while 
Mr.  Wesley  says  that  "  if  there  be  no 
second  change  after  justification,  then  we 
must  remain  full  of  sin  until  death  1 "  In 
the  sixth  chapter  of  Romans  Paul 
teaches  clearly  that  the  normal  state  of 
the  divine  life  in  the  soul  includes  or 
presupposes  a  "  crucifixion  of  the  old 
man,"  a  "destruction  of  the  body  of 
sin,"  and  a  "death  to  sin."  This  is  so 
clearly  his  meaning  that  Dr.  A.  Clarke 
says:     "The    man   who    has    received 


"Sin  in  Believers"  83 

Christ  Jesus  by  faith  and  has  been 
made  a  partaker  of  the  Holy  Spirit  has 
had  his  old  man  destroyed,  so  that  he 
is  not  only  justified  freely  from  all  sin, 
but  wholly  sanctified!"  In  Romans 
viii.  1-4  Paul,  in  describing  the  re- 
sults of  justifying  faith,  says  :  "  The  law 
of  the  spirit  of  life  in  Christ  Jesus  hath 
made  me  free  from  the  law  of  sin  and 
death."  It  is  so  clear  that  Paul  here 
teaches  that  justification  is  immediately 
followed  by  entire  sanctification  that  Dr. 
Clarke  says  :  "  The  gospel  pardons  and 
sanctifies;  the  carnal  man,  laboring  un- 
der the  overpowering  influence  of  the 
sin  of  his  nature,  ...  is  first  free- 
ly justified — he  feels  no  condemnation  ; 
he  is  fully  sanctified — he  walks  not 
after  the  flesh,  but  after  the  spirit." 

Again    Mr.  Wesley  says :    (3)  "  In: 
deed,  this  grand  point  that  there  are 


84  The  Problem  of  Methodism. 

two  contrary  principles  in  believers — 
nature  and  grace,  the  flesh  and  spirit — 
runs  through  all  the  Epistles  of  St. 
Paul — yea,  through  all  the  Holy  Script- 
ures: almost  all  the  directions  and  ex- 
hortations therein  are  founded  on  this 
supposition,  pointing  at  wrong  tempers 
or  practices  in  those  who  are,  notwith- 
standing, acknowledged  by  the  inspired 
writers  to  be  believers."  (Ser.  XIII.) 
The  first  point  we  notice  in  this  par- 
agraph is :  the  facts  do  not  sustain  the 
inferences.  The  fact  that  "there  are 
two  contrary  principles  in  believers — 
nature  and  grace,  the  flesh  and  spirit" 
— does  not  sustain  the  inference  that 
there  is  "sin  in  believers;"  for  Christ 
had  "nature  and  grace,  the  flesh  and 
spirit"  in  him,  or  else  he  was  not  truly 
a  man.  The  fact  that  the  gospel  pro- 
poses to  "destroy  the  body  of  sin"  to 


"Sin  in  Believers."  85 

"crucify  the  old  man"  (which  is  inbred 
sin  itself)  does  not  sustain  the  inference 
that  one  of  our  two  natures  must  be  de- 
stroyed. Any  one  can  see  that  the 
work  proposed  in  this  "  second  change  " 
is  to  destroy  "  nature "  and  leave 
"grace,"  to  destroy  the  "flesh"  and 
leave  the  "  spirit ;  "  to  deny  this  would 
be  to  make  Mr.  Wesley  write  nonsense ! 
Of  course  "  almost  all  the  directions 
and  exhortations  in  Holy  Scripture  are 
founded  upon  the  supposition  that  nat- 
ure and  grace,  the  flesh  and  spirit  are 
in  believers ; "  for  if  regeneration,  or 
sanctification  either,  "destroyed  the 
nature  or  flesh  of  a  believer,"  then 
there  would  be  no  need  of  either  "di- 
rections or  exhortations,"  for  said  be- 
liever would  then  be  no  longer  exposed 
to  the  temptation  of  "  making  provis- 
ion for  the  flesh,"  or  any  other  tempta- 

gQFFM*  COLLEGE  UBRtf 


86  The  Problem  of  Methodism. 

tion.  But  to  say  that  "Christ  will 
dwell  in  a  heart  not  yet  purified,"  and 
that  those  who  are  "  indulging  wrong 
tempers  and  practices  are  nevertheless 
justified  believers  " — to  say  all  this,  and 
more,  in  order  to  make  occasion  for  a 
"  second  change,"  is  to  put  the  "  residue 
theory  of  regeneration  "  and  the  "  sec- 
ond change  theory  of  sanctification  "  on 
a  sandy  foundation  indeed! 

Once  more.  Mr.  Wesley  says:  (4) 
"  By  all  the  grace  given  at  justification, 
though  we  watch  and  pray  ever  so 
much,  we  cannot  wholly  cleanse  either 
our  hands  or  our  hearts.  Most  sure  we 
cannot,  till  it  please  our  Lord  to  speak 
to  our  hearts  again,  to  speak  the  second 
time,  '  Be  clean ! '  and  then  only  the 
leprosy  is  cleansed ;  then  only  the  evil 
root,  the  carnal  mind,  is  destroyed,  and 
inbred   sin  subsists   no   more.      But   if 


"Sin  in  Believers."  87 

there  be  no  such  second  change  after  jus- 
tification, .  .  .  then  we  must  be 
content,  as  well  as  we  can,  to  remain 
full  of  sin  till  death;  and,  if  so,  we  must 
remain  guilty  till  death,  continually  de- 
serving punishment ! "     (Ser.  XIV.) 

This  is  a  remarkable  paragraph  in 
many  respects,  but  mainly  in  that  it  is 
the  only  place  in  which  Mr.  Wesley  ad- 
mits that  "Sin  in  Believers"  involves 
"guilt"  and  "deserves  punishment!''] 
How  a  man  can  be  ufull  of  sin  and  guilt, 
so  as  to  deserve  punishment "  and  be  in  a 
" justified  state"  at  the  same  time,  is  be- 
yond my  comprehension.  And  yet  to  say 
that  such  a  man  has  forfeited  his  justi- 
fication and  needs  this  second  change 
to  re-instate  him  is  to  give  up  the  "res- 
idue theory  of  regeneration  "  and  the 
"  second  change  theory  of  sanctifica- 
tion!"      Of  these  alternatives  I  have 


88  The  Problem  of  Methodism. 

chosen  the  latter.  But  a  state  of  guilt 
and  justification  can  be  reconciled  about 
as  easily  as  to  conceive  how  the  "  carnal 
mind "  can  exist  in  a  regenerated  be- 
liever and  remain  there  "till  it  please 
the  Lord  to  speak  again,  to  speak  the 
second  time,  'Be  clean!'"*  Will  the 
Christian  world  never  learn  that  the 
mind  God  gave  to  man  in  creation  is 
the  same  mind  that  he  carries  with  him 
forever?  and  that  the  "  carnal  mind'1''  is 
nothing  more  than  this  same  mind  un- 
der the  control  of  our  fleshly  nature — 
"the  course  of  carnal  thinking?"  and 
that  all  that  is  necessary  to  "  destroy  the 
carnal  mind  "  is  to  "  renew  us  in  the  di- 
vine image  "  and  take  this  same  mind 
from  under  the  control  of  this  fleshly 

*We  have  already  shown  that  regeneration 
either  destroys  the  "  carnal  mind,"  or  else  it  fails 
to  reconcile  us  to  God. 


"Sin  in  Believers."  89 

nature  and  put  it  back  under  the  control 
of  the  Holy  Spirit  and  our  renewed 
spiritual  nature,  so  that  we  will  "  walk 
not  after  the  flesh  but  after  the  Spirit  ?  " 
And  will  learned  theologians  never 
learn  that  in  this  work  of  "  transform- 
ing and  renewing  the  mind,"  neither 
one  of  our  two  natures  is  destroyed? 
that  the  "old  man,"  the  "body  of  sin," 
"inbred  sin,"  and  the  "carnal  mind," 
all  mean  the  same  thing  in  Paul's  psy- 
chology ?  and  that  the  "  old  man  is  cru- 
cified," the  "body  of  sin  is  destroyed," 
the  "carnal  mind  is  destroyed,"  and 
"inbred  sin  subsists  no  more"  when 
we  "  put  off  the  old  man,  and  put  on 
the  new  man  ?  " 

How  any  man  who  has  studied  Paul's 
Epistle  to  the  Romans  can  talk  about 
"destroying  the  carnal  mind  in  a  re- 
generated believer,"  who  has  not  for- 


90  The  Problem  of  Methodism. 

feited  his  justified  state  by  "walking 
after  the  flesh,"  is  a  mystery  I  cannot 
understand ;  for  no  one  can  be  "  born  of 
the  Spirit"  without  becoming  "spiritu- 
ally minded,"  and  Paul  shows  conclu- 
sively that  no  one  can  be  "carnally 
minded  "  and  "  spiritually  minded  "  at 
the  same  time.  There  is  no  half-way 
house  on  this  "Appian  Way"  to  the 
spiritual  kingdom.  Even  Mr.  Wesley 
has  said :  "  That  which  is  born  of  the 
Spirit  is  spiritual,  heavenly,  divine,  like 
its  Author"  "  To  be  born  again  is  to 
be  inwardly  changed  from  all  sinfulness  to 
all  holiness."  This  j)oint  cannot  be 
evaded  by  using  the  term,  "  the  remains 
of  the  carnal  mind,"  for  there  is  noth- 
ing to  remain."  Man  has  but  one  mind, 
and  that  mind  is  either  carnal  or  spir- 
itual, according  as  he  "  walks  after  the 
flesh  "  or  "  after  the  Spirit."     If  a  man 


"Sin  in  Believers."  91 

can  walk  in  opposite  directions  at  the 
same  time,  then  he  can  be  "carnally 
minded  "  and  "spiritually  minded" — 
then  he  can  be  a  "justified  believer" 
and  be  "full  of  sin  and  guilt"  at  the 
same  time ;  but  not  till  then. 

Paul's  argument  runs  thus:  There 
can  be  no  carnal  mind  in  those  who 
walk  not  after  the  flesh,  but  after  the 
Spirit;  for  they  that  walk  after  the 
flesh  do  mind  the  things  of  the  flesh ; 
but  they  that  walk  after  the  Spirit  do 
mind  the  things  of  the  Spirit.  For  to 
be  carnally  minded  is  spiritual  death ; 
but  to  be  spiritually  minded  is  life  and 
peace.  Because  the  carnal  mind  is  en- 
mity against  God :  for  it  is  not  subject 
to  the  law  of  God,  neither  indeed  can 
be.  So  then,  they  that  walk  after  the 
flesh  cannot  please  God.  But  ye  walk 
not  after  the  flesh,  but  after  the  Spirit, 


92  The  Problem  of  Methodism. 

if  so  be  the  Spirit  of  God  dwell  in  you. 
Now  if  any  man  have  not  the  Spirit  of 
Christ  divelling  in  him,  he  is  none  of 
his.*  Hence,  so  long  as  the  Spirit 
dwells  in  the  heart  of  a  believer,  and  he 
"makes  no  provision  for  the  flesh  to 
fulfill  the  desires  thereof,"  so  long  there 
will  be  no  "  carnal  mind  "  in  him  to  be 
destroyed;  and  hence  no  need  of  this 
"  second  change." 

Again,  if  there  be  "sin  in  justified 
believers,"  and  if  "we  cannot  wholly 
cleanse  our  hearts,  till  it  please  the 
Lord  to  speak  to  our  hearts  again,  to 
speak  the  second  time,  'Be  clean!'" 
does  it  not  follow  that  this  "sin"  is  al- 
lowed to  "  remain  in  our  hearts  "  under 
the  divine  approval1?     The  truth  is,  ac- 

*  In  the  above  paraphrase  of  Rom.  viii.  4-9  I 
have  given  a  clearer  idea  of  Paul's  argument  than 
can  be  given  by  the  ordinary  mode  of  comment. 


"Sin  in  Believers."  93 

cording  to  the  whole  statement  of  the 
case  by  Mr.  Wesley,  this  "  residue  the- 
ory "  charges  God  with  the  folly  of  for- 
giving sin,  the  "being  and  corruption" 
of  which  he  allows  to  "remain  till  he 
speaks  to  our  hearts  again,  till  he  speaks 
the  second  time,  '  Be  clean ! ' "  We  ask, 
in  the  name  of  Christianity,  is  this  the 
best  the  gospel  can  do  for  fallen,  de- 
praved, corrupt  humanity?  Let  St. 
John  answer:  "If  we  confess  our  sins, 
he  is  faithful  and  just  to  forgive  us  our 
sins  and  to  cleanse  us  from  all  unright- 
eousness." Yea,  let  Mr.  Wesley  himself 
answer:  "To  be  born  again  is  to  be  in- 
wardly changed  from  all  sinfulness  to  all 
holiness"  When  defining  the  new  birth 
Mr.  Wesley  always  gave  a  Bible  defini- 
tion of  regeneration,  but  when  he  came 
to  speak  of  sanctification  as  a  "  second 
change "  he  always  became  entangled 

WOFFOBD  COLLEGE  LIBRAE 


94  The  Problem  of  Methodism. 


and  collided  with  himself.  This  theory 
of  the  divine  life  never  has  been  har- 
monized with  itself  or  reconciled  with 
the  plain  teaching  of  the  Word  of  God. 
We  believe,  and  have  undertaken  to 
show,  that  the  "  residue  theory  of  re- 
generation" and  the  "second  change 
theory  of  sanctification "  rest  upon  a 
false  psychology  and  a  misapplication 
of  a  few  texts  of  Scripture.  Mr.  Wes- 
ley was  led  into  the  one  by  the  Ninth 
Article  of  the  Church  of  England,  and 
he  accepted  the  other  upon  the  testimo- 
ny of  some  of  the  members  of  his  soci- 
ety in  London.  But  "Mr.  Wesley  had 
scarcely  left  London,  after  receiving 
this  testimony,  before  two  of  these  wit- 
nesses, George  Bell  and  Thomas  Max- 
field,  began  to  hold  independent  meet- 
ings, declaring  that  no  one  could  teach 
the  sanctified   except   those  who  were 


"Sin  in  Believers."  95 

themselves  in  that  state  of  grace ;  and 
that  God  was  to  be  found  only  among 
these  his  saints."  *  "  These  enthusiasts 
professed  to  have  become  so  holy  that 
they  were  out  of  the  reach  of  tempta- 
tion^ and  denounced  all  who  failed  to 

*  "  Maxfield  carried  off  finally  about  two  hundred 
members,  founded  an  independent  congregation,  and 
continued  to  minister  to  them  for  twenty  years,  and 
then  died.  Bell  turned  prophet,  and  declared  that 
the  world  would  come  to  an  end  on  the  28th  of 
February,  1763.  When  his  prophecy  was  proved 
false  by  time,  he  not  only  gave  up  the  office  of 
prophet,  but  abandoned  all  pretense  of  religion, 
went  into  politics,  and  died  an  infidel."  Will  not 
our  members  who  are  being  led  out  of  the  Method- 
ist Church  by  self-appointed  teachers  take  warn- 
ing? And  will  not  the  leaders  of  these  "  Holiness 
Conventions  "  pause  and  "  go  slow  f  "  There  may  be 
danger  ahead,  around  the  curve! 

f  This  was  a  natural  result  of  the  "  residue  the- 
ory." Having  mistaken  the  essence  of  temptation 
for  the  "  motions  of  inbred  sin,"  the  "  remains  of 


96  The  Problem  of  Methodism. 

attain  the  same  fancied  heights."  Thus 
the  "residue  theory"  gave  Mr.  Wesley 
trouble  as  long  as  he  lived,  and  among 
the  great  and  latest  acts  of  his  wonder- 
ful life,  he  cut  out  that  clause  of  the 
Ninth  Article  which  taught  it,  and  gave 
American  Methodists  a  Creed  from 
which  this  Antinomian  error  was  ex- 
purgated. We  are  now  ready  to  exam- 
ine proof-texts. 

the  carnal  mind,"  and  their  "second  change"  (de- 
signed to  remove  this)  failing  to  relieve  them,  then 
they  were  ready  for  any  delusion  that  might  sug- 
gest itself. 


CHAPTER  IV. 
"  How  Readest  Thou  ?  " 

While  every  Christian  feels  that  his 
experience  agrees,  in  the  main,  with 
those  mental  states  which  Mr.  Wesley 
describes  in  his  sermon  on  "  Sin  in  Be- 
lievers," yet  all  those  mental  states  can 
be  accounted  for  without  adopting  the 
"  residue  theory  of  regeneration."  We 
believe  that  every  text  quoted  and 
every  mental  state  described  readily 
and  naturally  resolve  themselves  into 
one  of  two  classes:  First,  the  parties 
referred  to  were  persons  who  were  pass- 
ing through  severe  temptations,  out  of 
which  they  came  as  pure  as  ever;  or, 
second,  persons  who  had  yielded  to 
temptation  in  some  form,  and  thereby 

forfeited  their  justification  and  "  defiled 
7  (97) 


98  The  Problem  of  Methodism. 

their  garments."  To  come  directly  to 
the  point:  If  there  be  any  force  in 
habit,  if  passions  and  desires  become 
strong  by  exercise  and  undue  indul- 
gence, if  the  young  Christian  be  subject- 
ed to  temptation,  it  follows  that  he  will 
be  severely  exercised  by  the  uprising  of 
his  desires  at  the  presentation  of  a  once 
enjoyed  but  now  renounced  object.  But 
to  say  that  so  long  as  the  will  rejects 
the  temptation  there  is  sin  is  to  say 
that  temptation  is  sin ;  and  if  the  will 
yields  to  say  that  such  a  one  is  still  in 
a  justified  state  is  to  say  that  voluntary 
transgression  does  not  forfeit  justifica- 
tion. Thus  we  shall  find  that  the  mental 
states  which  have  been  described  as 
"  sin  in  believers,"  and  as  being  "  com- 
patible with  a  state  of  justification," 
are,  in  many  instances,  nothing  more 
than  severe  temptations,  and   as   such 


"How  Beaded   Thou?"  99 

were  not  sinful ;  in  other  cases,  however, 
it  is  equally  clear  that  the  will  had  con- 
curred with  the  solicitation,  and  justifi- 
cation was  forfeited. 

Mr.  Wesley  himself  says :  "  The 
more  any  believer  examines  his  own 
heart  the  more  will  he  be  convinced  of 
this — that  faith,  working  by  love,  ex- 
cludes both  inward  and  outward  sin 
from  the  soul  watching  unto  prayer; 
that,  nevertheless,  we  are  liable,  even 
then,  to  be  tempted,  particularly  to  the 
sin  that  did  so  easily  beset  us ; .  that  if 
the  loving  eye  of  the  soul  be  steadfast- 
ly fixed  on  God  the  temptation  soon 
vanishes  away;  but  if  not — if  we  are 
'drawTn  out  by  our  own  desires,'  and 
caught  by  the  bait  of  present  or  prom- 
ised pleasure,  then  that  desire  conceived 
in  us  [indulged]  brings  forth  sin." 
What  a  pity  that  a  man  who  had  such 


100  The  Problem  of  Methodism. 

clear  views  of  the  Bible  idea  of  the  new 
birth  and  temptation  as  Mr.  Wesley 
should  have  been  tied  hand  and  foot  by 
a  Church  dogma  so  at  war  with  both. 
No  wonder  he  drew  his  pen  through 
that  clause  in  preparing  our  Articles  of 
Faith. 

But  we  promised  to  explain  the  proof- 
texts.  "  What  is  written  in  the  law  ? 
How  readest  thou?"  Let  us  begin 
with  1  Cor.  iii.  1,  2,  3.  In  the  preced- 
ing chapter  Paul  draws  a  clear  distinc- 
tion between  the  natural  man  and  the 
new  man,  or  the  carnal  man  and  the 
spiritual  man;  and  then  begins  this 
chapter  thus :  "And  I,  brethren,  could 
not  speak  unto  you  as  spiritual  [men], 
but  as  unto  carnal  [men]  ;  ...  for 
whereas  there  are  among  you  envying, 
and  strife,  and  divisions,  are  ye  not  car- 
nal, and  walk  as  [carnal]  men?"     (1 


"How  Readest  Thou?"  101 

Cor.  iii.  1,  2,  3.)  Dr.  Clarke  says :  "  Ye 
act  just  as  the  people  of  the  world,  and 
have  no  more  of  the  spirit  of  religion 
than  they.  .  .  .  These  people  were 
wrong  in  thought,  word,  and  deed!" 
The  fact  that  Paul  speaks  unto  them, 
or  had  spoken  unto  them,  "  as  babes  in 
Christ,"  and  "  fed  them  with  milk,  and 
not  with  meat,  because  they  were  not 
able  to  bear  it,"  does  not  prove  that 
these  "carnal  men  "  were  then  in  a  jus- 
tified state;  for  the  context  shows  that 
the  state  of  babyhood  refers  to  knowl- 
edge instead  of  moral  condition  (See  Dr. 
Clarke  in  loco).  Moreover,  Paul  says 
positively  that  he  "could  not  speak 
unto  them  as  unto  spiritual  men " — 
"  Now  if  any  man  have  not  the  Spirit  of 
Christ,  he  is  none  of  his;"  but  Paul 
could  and  did  "  speak  unto  them  as 
unto  carnal  men'" — and  "to  be  carnally 


102  The  Problem  of  Methodism. 

minded  is  [spiritual]  death."  Does  not 
that  settle  the  question  that  these  "  car- 
nal men,"  or,  if  you  prefer,  these  "  nat- 
ural men  "  were  in  a  state  of  spiritual 
death  and  condemnation  ?  Again,  Paul 
said  that  they  "  walked  as  [carnal] 
men;"  and  "they  that  walk  after  the 
flesh  cannot  please  God."  Once  more: 
if  these  "carnal  men"  were  still  in  a 
justified  state,  they  were  also  in  a  sanc- 
tified state ;  for  Paul,  in  addressing  this 
Church,  says :  "  Unto  the  Church  of 
God  which  is  at  Corinth,  to  them  that 
are  sanctified  in  Christ  Jesus,"  etc. ;  "  ye 
are  washed,  ye  are  sanctified,  ye  are 
justified  in  the  name  of  the  Lord  Jesus, 
and  by  the  Spirit  of  God."  (1  Cor.  i. 
2;  vi.  11.)  So  those  " carnal  men"  had 
either  forfeited  their  justified  state,  or 
else  a  degree  of  carnality  is  also  left  in 
a  sanctified  believer!      In   either  case 


"How  Reddest  Thou?"  103 

the  text  (1  Cor.  iii.  1,  2,  3)  proves 
nothing  for  the  "  residue  theory  of  re- 
generation" and  the  "second  change 
theory  of  sanctification." 

The  next  proof-text  is  Gal.  v.  17: 
"  For  the  flesh  lusteth  against  the  Spir- 
it, and  the  Spirit  lusteth  against  the 
flesh."  Now  every  thing  affirmed  of 
the  flesh  is  affirmed  of  the  Holy  Spirit 
in  this  verse;  hence  the  word  "lust" 
is  a  mistranslation  in  both  the  sixteenth 
and  seventeenth  verses.  The  whole 
chapter  shows  conclusively  that  so  far 
from  Paul  intending  to  teach  in  this 
text  (verse  17)  that  moral  "corruption," 
or  the  "  carnal  mind,"  could  abide  in  a 
regenerated  believer  so  as  to  really 
"lust"  after  a  forbidden  object,  he  in- 
tended to  teach  that  a  "  carnal "  and  a 
"spiritual"  life  were  so  diametrically 
opposed  that  we  could  not  commingle 


104  The  Problem  of  Methodism. 

the  two,  but  we  passed  immediately 
from  the  one  state  to  the  other  as  soon 
as  we  tried  to  combine  them  in  the  same 
heart.  After  telling  some  of  these  Ga- 
latians  that  they  had  "fallen  from 
grace  "  (verse  4),  Paul  goes  on  to  say : 
"Walk  in  the  Spirit,  and  ye  shall  not 
fulfill  the  desires  of  the  flesh.  For  the 
flesh  desireth  against  the  Spirit,  and 
the  Spirit  desireth  against  the  flesh, 
(and  these  are  contrary  the  one  to  the 
other)  that  ye  may  not  do  the  things  ye 
would.  But  if  ye  are  led  by  the  Spirit 
ye  are  not  under  the  [condemnation]  of 
the  law."  (Mr.  Wesley's  trans.  Gal.  v. 
16,  17,  18.)  So  far,  then,  from  these 
Galatians  who  were  "fulfilling  the  de- 
sires of  the  flesh"  being  in  a  justified 
state  and  a  sample  of  all  justified  be- 
lievers, they  refused  to  "walk  in  the 
Spirit,"  or  to  be  "  led  by  the  Spirit," 


"How  Beadest  Thou?"  105 

and  were  "  under  the  [condemnation]  of 
the  law."  Dr.  Clarke  says :  "  They  had 
fallen  from  the  grace  of  the  gospel ;  and 
as  Christ  no  longer  dwelt  in  their  hearts 
by  faith,  pride,  anger,  ill-will,  and  all 
unkind  and  uncharitable  tempers  took 
possession  of  their  souls  ;  and  they  were, 
in  consequence,  alternately  destroying 
each  other.  ...  It  was  on  this 
ground  that  Paul  exhorted  them  to  walk 
in  the  Spirit,  that  they  might  not  fulfill 
the  desires  of  the  flesh  ;  as  without  the 
grace  of  God  they  could  do  nothing." 
On  the  seventeenth  verse  Dr.  Clarke 
remarks :  "  God  still  continues  to  strive 
with  you,  notwithstanding  your  apostasy, 
showing  you  whence  you  are  fallen,  and 
exciting  you  to  return  to  him  ;  but  your 
own  obstinacy  renders  all  ineffectual, 
and  through  the  influence  of  these  dif- 
ferent  principles  [the   desires   of   the 


106  Th.e  Problem  of  Methodism. 

flesh  and  the  convictions  of  the  Spirit] 
you  are  kept  in  a  state  of  self-opposi- 
tion and  self-distraction,  'so  that  ye 
cannot  do  the  things  that  ye  would.'  " 
So  far,  then,  from  Gal.  v.  17  teaching 
that  a  regenerated  man  may  have  "  in- 
bred sin,"  the  "carnal  mind,"  and 
"lust"  abiding  in  him,  we  find  that  the 
persons  referred  to  in  that  text  were 
"fulfilling  the  desires  of  the  flesh ; " 
having  ceased  "to  walk  in  the  Spirit," 
or  to  be  "  led  by  the  Spirit,"  they  had 
forfeited  their  justification,  had  "fallen 
from  grace,"  and  were  "under  the  [con- 
demnation of  the]  law!  " 

We  notice  next  1  Thess.  v.  23 :  "And 
the  very  God  of  peace  sanctify  you 
wholly ;  and  I  pray  God  your  whole 
spirit  and  soul  and  body  be  preserved 
blameless  unto  the  coming  of  our  Lord 
Jesus  Christ."     Now,  the  sum  total  of 


"How  Beadest  Thou?"  107 

which  Paul  speaks  is  the  whole  man,  and 
not  of  a  partial  cleansing  of  the  moral 
nature  at  one  time  and  a  complete 
cleansing  of  the  moral  nature  at  a  sub- 
sequent time.  It  is  one  thing  to  be 
"pure  in  heart,"  and  another  thing  to 
preserve  a  pure  heart  by  a  holy  or  pure 
life  ;  and  as  Paul  had  exhorted  them  to 
"be  at  peace  among  themselves,"  to 
"warn  the  unruly,"  to  "see  that  none 
render  evil  for  evil,"  to  "  pray  without 
ceasing,"  to  "  quench  not  the  Spirit,"  to 
"  abstain  from  all  appearance  of  evil ; " 
and  then  prayed  that  they  might  be 
"sanctified  wholly"  (not  holy),  and  that 
their  "spirit  and  soul  and  body  might 
be  preserved  blameless,"  it  is  clear  that 
he  had  his  eye  on  such  a  "  consecration  " 
of  the  whole  man  as  would  lead  to  a 
"  blameless  "  life,  and  that  such  an  idea 
as  the  "  residue  theory  "  and  the  "  sec- 


108  The  Problem  of  Methodism. 

ond  change  theory"  never  entered 
Paul's  mind. 

The  prayer  of  David  is  introduced  as 
proof  of  the  "  residue  theory :  "  "  Create 
in  me  a  clean  heart,  0  God ;  and  renew 
a  right  spirit  within  me."  (Ps.  li.  10.) 
But  the  necessity  of  a  "  clean  heart "  in 
this  case  did  not  originate  in  a  "partial 
renovation  "  at  conversion,  but  in  the 
fact  that  David  had  committed  a  hei- 
nous sin  after  his  feet  had  been  taken 
out  of  the  mire  and  clay,  and  a  "new 
song  put  in  his  mouth;"  hence  he 
prayed  also  that  a  right  spirit  might  be 
"renewed  in  him." 

We  pause  here  to  call  attention  to  a 
psychological  fact  that  will  give  us  the 
key  of  interpretation  to  those  passages 
yet  to  be  examined.  We  refer  to  the 
fact  that  in  all  such  mental  and  spiritu- 
al activity  as  is  put  forth  in  the  act  of 


"How  Reddest  Thou?  "  109 

giving  up  the  world  and  accepting 
Christ,  there  is  produced  in  our  mental 
nature  what  mental  philosophers  call  a 
" radical  disposition." *  This  "disposi- 
tion "  is  usually  referred  to,  in  Chris- 
tian experience,  as  "  my  original  pur- 
pose to  serve  God  and  get  to  heaven." 
Now,  as  this  "  purpose  "  precedes  regen- 
eration, and  is  distinct  from  the  spirit- 
ual life  in  the  soul,  it  follows  that  a 
man  may  retain  this  purpose  after  he 
has  forfeited  his  justified  state  and  be- 
come spiritually  dead.  Thus  it  was 
with  the  Churches  at  Pergamos,  Ephe- 
sus,  Sardis,  etc.  None  of  these  Church- 
es had  "denied  the  faith,"  none  had  re- 
nounced Christianity,  none  had  given 
up  their  "  original  purpose  to  serve  God 
and  get  to   heaven ; "  yet  in  some  of 

*See  Dr.   Hickok's  "Science   of   the  Mind," 
page  335. 


110  rhe  Problem  of  Methodism. 

them  even  this  "thing  which  remained 
was  ready  to  die,"  and  in  all  these 
Churches,  except  one,  there  was  some 
open  violation  of  God's  laws  which  in- 
volved the  guilty  parties  in  condemna- 
tion, and  for  which  they  were  command- 
ed to  "  repent  and  do  their  first  works." 
(See  Rev.  ii.,  iii.)  Now  these  cases  are 
held  up  to  prove  that  regeneration  is  a 
partial  work,  leaving  a  residue  of  "  cor- 
ruption in  them  that  are  regenerated." 
In  his  sermon  on  "  Sin  in  Believers  " 
Mr.  Wesley  labors  hard  to  show  that 
all  these  backslidden  members  in  these 
Churches  were  still  in  a  justified  state 
and  fair  representatives  of  all  believ- 
ers who  had  not  received  a  "second 
change."  But  Christ  said  to  them  at 
Ephesus  :  "  Thou  hast  left  thy  first  love. 
Remember,  therefore,  from  whence  thou 
art  fallen,  and  repent,  and  do  thy  first 


"How  Reddest  Thou?"  Ill 

works."  (Rev.  ii.  4,  5.)  To  them  at 
Pergamos  Christ  said :  "  Thou  hast 
them  that  hold  the  doctrine  of  Balaam, 
who  taught  Balak  to  cast  a  stumbling- 
block  before  the  children  of  Israel,  to 
eat  things  sacrificed  unto  idols,  and  to 
commit  fornication.  So  hast  thou  also 
them  that  hold  the  doctrine  of  the  Nic- 
olaitans,  which  thing  I  hate*  Repent;  or 
else  I  will  come  unto  thee  quickly,  and 
will  fight  against  them  with  the  sword 
of  my  mouth."     (Rev.  ii.  14,  15,   16.) 

*  Such  were  Mr.  Wesley's  "  New  Testament 
justified  believers"  when  he  was  trying  to  prove 
the  "  residue  dogma  of  the  Church."  Yet  he  wrote 
thus  to  Dr.  Clarke:  "  If  you  can  prove  that  any  of 
our  preachers  or  leaders,  either  directly  or  indirect- 
ly, speak  against  perfect  love  let  him  be  a  preacher 
or  a  leader  no  longer.  I  doubt  whether  he  should 
continue  in  the  Society.  Because  he  that  could 
speak  thus  in  our  congregation  cannot  be  an  honest 
man."     So  much  for  a  "  theory." 


112  The  Problem,  of  Methodism. 

To  them  at Sardis  Christ  said :  "I  know 
thy  works,  that  thou  hast  a  name,  that 
thou  livest,  and  art  dead."  (Rev.  iii.  7.) 
Comment  is  unnecessary.  But  in  com- 
menting on  these  three  Churches  Mr. 
Wesley  failed  to  tell  us  that  the  remedy 
which  Christ  prescribed  for  these  evils 
was  to  " repent  and  do  thy  first  works;" 
while  he  prescribed  a  "  second  change ; " 
that  Christ  charged  their  condition  to 
wrong  doing  and  thinking,  while  he  ac- 
counted for  it  upon  the  supposition  that 
"regeneration  is  a  partial  cleansing," 
leaving  a  "residue  of  corruption  in 
them  that  are  regenerated."  Mr.  Wes- 
ley also  failed  to  tell  us  that  Christ  said 
of  the  Church  at  Sardis:  "  Thou  hasta 
few  names  even  in  Sardis  which  have 
not  defiled  their  garments;  and  they  shall 
walk  with  me  in  white:  for  they  are 
worthv."     It  is  clear,   then,   that  Mr. 


"How  Readest  Thou?"  113 

Wesley's  representative  "justified  be- 
lievers" had  all  "defiled  their  garments" 
And  we  believe  as  strongly  as  Mr. 
Wesley  that  all  such  need  a  "  second 
cleansing;"  and  with  the  Master  that 
all  such  should  "repent  and  do  their 
first  works."  But  we  must  and  do,  in 
the  fear  of  God,  enter  a  solemn  protest 
against  the  reason  assigned  by  Mr. 
Wesley  for  this  "  repentance  "  and  "sec- 
ond cleansing"  as  being  repugnant  to 
the  Bible  idea  of  regeneration  and  sanc- 
tification.  If  I  were  going  to  prove 
from  the  Bible  that  a  justified  believer 
can  "  fall  from  grace  and  forfeit  his  jus- 
tified state,"  I  would  be  willing  to  rest 
the  whole  case  on  the  very  texts  and  ex- 
amples which  Mr.  Wesley  has  intro- 
duced to  prove  the  "  residue  theory  of 
regeneration."  If  any  one  will  read 
and  study  every  proof-text  which  has 


114  The  Problem  of  Methodism. 

been  quoted  to  sustain  this  "theory,"  in 
the  light  of  Biblical  psychology  and  a 
sound  exegesis  of  the  sacred  text,  all 
will  be  clear. 

Our  position,  then,  is  this :  Regener- 
ation is  a  complete  work  and  includes 
sanctification.  Regeneration  expresses 
the  nature  of  the  change  and  sanctifi- 
cation the  result — moral  purity.  Then 
we  draw  a  distinction  between  regener- 
ation and  Christian  perfection.  Regen- 
eration is  an  instantaneous  work  result- 
ing in  moral  purity,  while  perfection  is 
a  growth  resulting  in  maturity.  Let  us 
examine  this  position  In  the  light  of 
Scripture.     "  How  readest  thou  ?  M 

The  term  "regeneration"  is  used 
only  twice  in  the  New  Testament — once 
by  Christ  and  once  by  Paul.  As  used 
by  Christ  (Matt,  xix.  28)  it  refers  to 
the  "  new  order  of  things  at  the  general 


"How  Readest  Thou t"  115 

resurrection."  As  used  by  Paul  it  re- 
fers to  the  work  of  grace  in  the  heart 
which  the  Scriptures  call  sanctification. 
In  proof  of  this  we  give  the  text,  and 
then  give  Mr.  Wesley's  notes:  "But 
after  that  the  kindness  and  love  of  God 
our  Saviour  toward  man  appeared,  not 
by  works  of  righteousness  which  we 
have  done,  but  according  to  his  own 
mercy  he  saved  us  by  the  washing  of 
regeneration  and  renewing  of  the  Holy 
Ghost,  which  he  poured  forth  richly 
upon  us  through  Jesus  Christ  our  Sav- 
iour, that  being  justified  by  his  grace 
we  might  become  heirs  according  to  the 
hope  of  eternal  life."  (Titus  iii.  4-7.) 
Mr.  Wesley  says :  "  In  this  impor- 
tant passage  the  apostle  presents  us  with 
a  delightful  view  of  our  redemption. 
Herein  we  have,  first,  the  cause  of  it: 
.     .     .     second,  the  effects,  which  are, 

flOFFORD  COLLEGL  UBHAKX 


116  The  Problem,  of  Methodism. 

(1)  Justification — being  justified,  par- 
doned, and  accepted  through  the  alone 
merits  of  Christ.  ...  (2)  Sanctifica- 
tion— expressed  by  the  laver  of  regeneration 
and  the  renewal  of  the  Holy  Ghost,  which 
purifies  the  soul  and  reneivs  it  in  the  whole 
image  of  God." 

Observe,  in  the  only  place  in  the  New 
Testament  where  regeneration  is  used 
to  describe  a  work  of  grace  in  the  heart 
it  is  used  in  the  sense  of  sanctification ; 
and  in  this  place  Paul  puts  it  in  direct 
connection  with  justification.  In  view 
of  this  fact,  no  wonder  Mr.  Watson 
sa}^s :  "  The  regenerate  state  is  also 
called  in  Scripture,  sanctification."  In 
the  Bible  sanctification  means  "  to  con- 
secrate, to  cleanse,  to  purify."  Sancti- 
fication, then,  is  twofold ;  we  must  con- 
secrate ourselves  to  God  in  order  for  him 
to  cleanse  or  purify  us  from  sin.    Hence, 


"How  Reddest  Thou?"  117 

"if  we  confess  our  sins  he  is  faithful 
and  just  to  forgive  us  our  sins  and  to 
cleanse  us  from  all  unrighteousness ; " 
for  "  the  blood  of  Jesus  Christ  his  Son 
cleanseth  us  from  all  sin."  This  all- 
cleansing  blood  is  applied  at  "forgive- 
ness "  by  the  Holy  Spirit  as  the  agent, 
and  by  faith  as  the  condition :  "Being 
sanctified  by  the  Holy  Ghost ; "  "  purify- 
ing their  hearts  by  faith;"  "ye  are 
washed,  ye  are  sanctified  in  the  name  of 
the  Lord  Jesus,  and  by  the  Spirit  of 
God ;  "  "  that  they  may  receive  inher- 
itance among  them  that  are  sanctified 
by  faith."  Now  all  this  is  precisely  the 
same  work  of  grace  in  the  heart  which 
Paul  calls  the  "  washing  of  regenera- 
tion and  the  renewing  of  the  Holy 
Ghost" — "putting  on  the  new  man," 
"created  anew  in  Christ  Jesus',"  and 
the    same   as   that   which  Christ  calls 


118  The  Problem  of  Methodism. 

"being  born  of  the  Spirit."  These 
terms  express  the  nature  of  regenera- 
tion, while  sanctification  expresses  the 
result. 

In  the  work  of  salvation  the  guilt  of 
sin  must  be  pardoned,  the  pollution  of 
sin  must  be  cleansed,  man's  spiritual 
nature  must  be  "created  anew,"  "born 
of  the  Spirit,"  "  renewed  in  the  image 
of  God."  Now  all  this  is  the  work  of 
God  done  for  us  and  in  us ;  it  is  all  an 
instantaneous  work,  and  in  such  rapid 
succession  that  it  may  be  said  it  is  all 
done  co-etanewLsly.  A  partial  creation,  a 
partial  new  birth,  a  partial  forgiveness 
is  just  as  scriptural  as  a  partial  cleans- 
ing. Hence  John  declares  in  language 
that  cannot  be  misunderstood:  "If  we 
confess  our  sins  he  is  faithful  and  just 
to  forgive  us  our  sins,  and  to  cleanse  us 
from    all     unrighteousness;"    and    he 


"How  Readiest  Thou?"  119 

pledges  the  justice  and  faithfulness  of 
God  to  this  divine  order  of  things. 

In  referring  to  the  Gentiles  who  were 
converted  at  the  house  of  Cornelius, 
Peter  says :  "  God  put  no  difference  be- 
tween us  and  them,  purifying  their 
hearts  by  faith."  Now  if  Peter  had 
known  that  the  "  former  corruptions  of 
the  heart  remain  in  them  that  are  re- 
generated," surely  he  would  not  have 
said  " purifying  their  hearts,"  and  af- 
firmed the  same  of  the  "  three  thousand 
on  the  Day  of  Pentecost !  "  And  if  the 
aj)ostles  and  elders  to  whom  he  was  re- 
porting had  been  a  modern  "  Holiness 
Convention,"  I  think  some  of  them 
would  have  called  him  to  order ! 

When  the  "  Lord  Jesus  sent  Paul  to 
preach  to  the  Gentiles,"  he  sent  him 
"  to  open  their  eyes,  and  to  turn  them 
from   darkness  to  light,  and   from  the 

^OHURD  COLLEGE  LIBRARY 


120  The  Problem  of  Methodism. 

power  of  Satan  unto  Grod,  that  they 
might  receive  forgiveness  of  sins,  and  in- 
heritance among  them  that  are  sancti- 
fied by  faith."  (Acts  xxv.  18.)  Here, 
again,  "  forgiveness  of  sin  "  and  "  sanc- 
tification  "  are  put  in  direct  or  immedi- 
ate connection. 

When  Jesus  speaks  our  sins  forgiven 
he  says :  "  Now  are  ye  clean  through 
the  word  which  I  have  spoken  unto 
you"  (John  xv.  3) ;  or,  "  I  will,  Be  thou 
clean,1'  and  the  work  is  done!  The 
"  washing  of  regeneration "  is  not  a 
"partial  renovation,"  leaving  the  "for- 
mer corruptions  to  remain  in  the  heart ; " 
for  "he  that  is  washed  is  clean  every 
whit:'  (John  xiii.  10.)  Mr.  Wesley, 
then,  had  the  highest  authority  for  say- 
ing that  the  "  washing  of  regeneration 
is  sanctification." 

Paul  says :   "  Unto  the  Church  of  God 


'How  Reddest  Thou?"  121 


which  is  at  Corinth,  to  them  that  are 
sanctified  in  Christ  Jesus;"  "ye  are 
washed,  ye  are  sanctified,  ye  are  justi- 
fied in  the  name  of  the  Lord  Jesus." 
(1  Cor.  i.  2;  vi.  11.)  In  both  these  pas- 
sages Paul  uses  the  term  "sanctified" 
to  describe  the  state  of  grace  received 
at  justification.  So  did  the  apostle 
Jude  when  he  began  his  Epistle  thus : 
"Jude,  the  servant  of  Jesus  Christ,  to 
them  that  are  sanctified  by  God  the 
Father,  and  preserved  in  Jesus  Christ." 
The  idea  suggested  by  every  term 
used  to  express  the  work  of  regenera- 
tion indicates  that  the  inspired  writers 
regarded  that  work  as  being  complete 
in  kind,  but  not  in  development.  The 
soul  "  forgiven  and  cleansed  from  all 
unrighteousness  "  is  to  reach  maturity 
by  "abiding  in  Christ"  and  "growing 
in    grace,"    and    not    by    a    "  second 


122  The  Problem  of  Methodism. 

change,"  unless  he  has  "left  his  first 
love"  and  "defiled  his  garments." 

Those  who  hold  that  "  sanctification 
is  a  second  change  to  remove  the  cor- 
ruption left  in  the  heart  at  regenera- 
tion," have  a  great  deal  to  say  about 
"crucifying  the  flesh,  the  old  man," 
and  being  "dead  to  sin."  But  unfort- 
unately for  their  "theory,"  instead  of 
this  state  of  "crucifixion  "  and  "  death 
to  sin "  being  a  state  of  grace  to  be 
sought  as  a  separate  and  distinct  work 
after  regeneration,  Paul  teaches  clearly 
and  pointedly  that  this  state  of  "  cruci- 
fixion and  death  to  sin  "  is  one  of  the 
marks  of  the  new  birth ;  and  that  there 
is  no  spiritual  life  unless  it  includes  a 
death  to  sin  and  a  life  unto  holiness. 
"  They  that  are  Christ's  have  crucified 
the  flesh  [the  old  man]  with  the  affec- 
tions and  lusts"  (Gal.  v.  24),'  "that  the 


"How  Reddest  Thou  t  "  123 

body  of  sin  might  be  destroyed"  (Rom. 
vi.  6) ;  and  "  being  made  free  from  [in- 
ward and  outward]*  sin,  and  become 
servants  of  God,  ye  have  your  fruit  unto 
holiness  "  (Rom.  vi.  22).  Peter  says: 
"  See  that  ye  love  one  another  with  a 
pure  heart  fervently ;  being  born  again,  not 
of  corruptible  seed,  but  incorruptible,  by 
the  Word  of  God."  "Christ  bore  our 
sins  in  his  own  body  on  the  tree,  that 
we,  being  dead  to  sin,  should  live  unto 
righteousness."  (1  Pet.  i.  22,  23;  ii. 
24,  25.) 

In  the  fifth  and  sixth  chapter  of  Ro- 
mans Paul  discusses  the  effects  of  the 
fall,  and  then  the  nature,  the  condition, 
and  the  result  of  the  new  birth,  or  re- 
generation ;  and  in  the  sixth  chapter  he 

*To  say  that  Paul  does  not  include  "inward" 
or  "inbred  sin"  in  this  verse  is  to  ignore  the  cen- 
tral thought  in  his  argument.     (See  verse  6.) 


124  The  Problem  of  Methodism. 

makes  a  long,  lucid  argument  to  prove 
that  the  normal  state  of  the  "  new  man" 
includes,  or  j>resupposes,  a  "  crucifixion 
of  the  old  man,"  the  "destruction  of 
the  body  of  sin,"  and  a  " death  to  sin;  " 
for  in  Paul's  Epistles  "the  old  man" 
and  "  the  new  man  "  are  opposite  terms, 
and  the  two  things  they  represent  can 
no  more  dwell  together  than  light  and 
darkness,  or  life  and  death.  In  the 
seventh  chapter  he  describes  the  condi- 
tion of  an  awakened  sinner  as  he  strug- 
gles with  the  "  old  man,"  the  "  carnal 
mind,"  until  he  cries  out,  "0  wretched 
man  that  I  am!  who  shall  deliver  me 
from  the  body  of  this  death?"  (This 
"carnal  mind,"  this  "body  of  sin,"  this 
"old  man,"  which  I  now  see  is  a  mass 
of  moral  corruption !)  The  deliverance 
comes  "through  Jesus  Christ  our  Lord  " 
(verse  25).    Then  the  eighth  chapter  an- 


"How  Reddest  Thou?"  125 

nounces  that  "  there  is  therefore  now 
no  condemnation  to  them  which  are  in 
Christ  Jesus;  ...  for  the  law  of 
the  Spirit  of  life  in  Christ  Jesus  hath 
made  me  free  from  this  law  of  sin  and 
death,"  "hath  made  me  free  from  this 
old  man,"  "this  body  of  sin,"  "this  car- 
nal mind,"  "this  body  of  death,"  "this 
law  of  sin  and  death ! !  "  Hence,  so  far 
from  Paul  teaching  that  the  "  corruption 
of  our  nature  remains  in  them  that  are 
regenerated,"  he  teaches  that  this  "old 
man  is  crucified,"  and  this  "body  of  sin 
is  destroyed,"  when  we  "put  off  the  old 
man  and  put  on  the  new  man,  which  is 
created  according  to  the  divine  pattern 
in  uprightness  and  moral  purity."  (See 
the  Greek  text  of  Eph.  iv.  24.) 

Christ  said :  "  That  which  is  born  of 
the  flesh  is  flesh,  and  that  which  is  born 
of  the  Spirit  is  spirit."  (John  iii.  6.)  Dr. 


126  The  Problem  of  Methodism. 

Clarke  says :  "  Like  will  beget  like.  The 
kingdom  of  God  is  spiritual  and  holy ; 
and  that  which  is  born  of  the  Spirit  re- 
sembles the  Spirit;  for  as  he  is  who 
begat,  so  is  he  who  is  begotten  of  him. 
.  .  .  This  new  birth  implies  the  re- 
newing of  the  whole  soul  in  righteousness 
and  true  holiness;  .  .  .  it  compre- 
hends not  only  pardon,  but  also  sanctification 
or  holiness."  Mr.  Wesley  says:  "That 
which  is  born  of  the  Spirit  is  spiritual, 
heavenly,  divine,  like  its  author.  .  .  . 
To  be  born  again  is  to  be  inwardly 
changed  from  all  sinfulness  to  all  holiness." 
Now  it  comes  to  this :  As  Methodists, 
we  must  either  give  up  the  doctrine  of 
"  inherited  depravity,"  or  we  must  aban- 
don the  "residue  theory  of  regenera- 
tion ; "  for  if  depraved  "Adam  begat  a 
son  in  his  own  likeness,  after  his  image," 
then  the  soul  that  is  "  born  of  God,"  "  of 


"How  Readiest  Thou?"  127 

incorruptible  seed,'1  "  of  the  Holy  Spirit," 
cannot  be  "impure,"  cannot  have  "in- 
bred sin  remaining  in  it ;  "  but  it  must  be 
"pure"  " cleansed  from  all  unrighteous- 
ness" "from  all  sin!"  How  readest 
thou? 

Dr.  Clarke  says:  "The  'old  man,' 
the  '  body  of  sin '  is  the  same  which  we 
mean  by  *  indwelling  sin  '  or  the  i  infec- 
tion of  our  nature,'  in  consequence  of 
the  fall."  Now  this  depravity  or  "  in- 
fection of  our  nature  "  creates  the  ne- 
cessity of  the  new  birth  or  regenera- 
tion i*  but,  strange  to  say,  learned  theo- 
logians (?)  and  Bishops  (?)  would  have 
us  believe,  or  stultify  our  common  sense 

*  This  is  specially  true  of  infants ;  for  "  our  best 
authors  hold  that  infants  are  born  in  a  justified 
state,  but  need  regeneration  to  cleanse  the  '  corrup- 
tion naturally  engendered  of  the  offspring  of 
Adam.' " 


128  The  Problem  of  Methodism. 

by  trying  to  believe,  that  this  "  corrup- 
tion of  our  nature  remains  in  them  that 
are  regenerated!  "  Yea,  the  Church  of 
England  has  baptized  this  error  into 
her  Creed  and  made  it  a  part  of  her 
Ninth  Article  of  Faith!  Hence,  the 
Church  of  England  is  consistent  with 
herself  and  her  Ninth  Article  when  she 
holds  and  teaches  "baptismal  regen- 
eration, and  the  eternal  damnation  of 
all  infants  dying  unbaptized!"  From 
such  an  error  John  Wesley  saved  Amer- 
ican Methodism  when  he  gave  us  an 
abridgment  of  the  Thirty-nine  Articles 
of  the  Church  of  England.  But  is  it 
not  time  for  our  General  Conference  to 
appoint  a  committee  to  expunge  this 
"residue  theory"  from  our  standard 
works,  as  Mr.  Wesley  expurgated  it  from 
our  Articles  of  Faith  ?  After  discard- 
ing  Sermons  XIII.  and  XIV.  of  Mr. 


"How  Beadest  Thou?"  129 

Wesley's  as  being  "  standard,"  the  work 
would  be  nearly  complete. 

Whether  we  call  this  "corruption," 
the  "  old  man,"  or  the  "body  of  sin,"  or 
"  inbred  sin,"  or  the  "  infections  of  our 
nature,"  or  "the  carnal  mind,"  or  "the 
law  of  sin  and  death,"  is  of  little  conse- 
quence; but  by  whatever  name  it  is 
called,  Paul  teaches  that  there  can  be 
no  divine  or  spiritual  life  in  the  soul 
where  it  remains.  To  say  that  this 
"infection  of  our  nature  remains  in 
them  that  are  regenerated,"  that  the 
"  former  corruptions  of  the  heart  re- 
main in  the  regenerate  and  strive  for 
the  mastery,"  that  "the  carnal  mind 
survives  the  work  of  regeneration,  and 
is  often  actively  rebellious  in  the  hearts 
of  real  Christians,"  to  say  all  this,  and 
more,  is  to  say  that  Paul  and  Peter  and 
John  did  not  understand  the  effects  of 


130  The  Problem  of  Methodism. 

the  fall  and  the  nature  of  the  new  birth ! 
The  truth  is,  if  a  large  portion  of  the 
New  Testament  had  been  written  to 
overturn  the  "  residue  theory  of  regen- 
eration," and  to  show  that  regeneration 
includes  sanctification,  the  writers  could 
scarcely  have  been  more  explicit.  If 
there  be  passages  that  seem  to  teach 
otherwise,  the  contexts  explain  the  seem- 
ing conflict.  And  while  it  is  impossi- 
ble to  reconcile  Mr.  Wesley  with  him- 
self, yet  he  always  gives  a  Bible  defini- 
tion of  the  new  birth ;  and  if  a  large 
portion  of  his  "  Notes  on  the  New  Tes- 
tament," and  a  larger  portion  of  Clarke's 
"Commentary"  had  been  written  to 
overturn  this  "  residue  theory,"  the 
authors  could  not  have  used  stronger 
language. 


CHAPTER  V. 
The  Modern  Fathers  in  Trouble. 

SECTION  1.  "INSTINCTIVE  CONVICTIONS." 

It  is  amazing  to  see  to  what  extent 
some  of  the  modern  Fathers  have 
pressed  this  doctrine  of  "  Sin  in  Be- 
lievers "  in  order  to  make  room  to  bring 
in  sanctification  as  a  "  second  blessing." 
Dr.  Upham,*  in  his  "Interior  Life" 
sums  up  "all  bodily  infirmities,  such  as 
disordered  organs  of  sight,  hearing,  and 
touch,"  and  "all  mental  derangements, 
such  as  unavoidable  errors  and  imper- 
fections of  judgment,"  and  calls  them 
all  "  involuntary  sins — sins  though  that 
find  no  recourse  but  in  an  immediate 
and  believing  application  of  the  aton- 
ing blood."    So  the  Doctor  says :   "Now, 

*  A  convert  of  Dr.  and  Mrs.  Palmer. 

(131) 

&QFF0RD  COLLEGE  LIBRM^ 


132  The  Problem  of  Methodism. 

as  such  infirmities  are  very  frequent, 
and  as  indeed  they  are  unavoidable,  we 
shall  have  abundant  occasions  to  con- 
fess our  trespasses !  "  The  Doctor  con- 
tinues :  "  It  is  in  accordance  with  what 
has  now  been  said  that  Christians,  .  .  . 
wherever  they  have  fallen  into  such 
errors  and  infirmities  have  an  instinctive 
conviction  that  the  occasion  is  a  fitting 
one  for  penitent  grief  and  humble  confes- 
sion, and  they  find  no  true  peace  of  mind 
until  they  find  a  sense  of  forgiveness !  " 
We  presume  that  the  Doctor  is  right 
in  saying  that  the  conviction  for  such 
"  infirmities  "  as  he  describes  is  "  an  in- 
stinctive conviction ;  "  at  least,  we  have 
no  idea  that  the  Holy  Spirit  ever  con- 
victed any  one  for  such  "unavoidable 
infirmities,"  either  "physical"  or  "in- 
tellectual." In  our  experience  as  a 
pastor  we  have  met  a  few  of  the  Doc- 


The  Modern  Fathers  in  Trouble.       1 33 

tor's  patients  who  were  "filled  with 
penitent  grief"  on  account  of  some 
physical  disorder  or  infirmity,  and  whose 
"instinctive  convictions  gave  them  no 
peace  of  mind."  We  think  that  all 
such  theology  as  the  above  needs  med- 
ical treatment  as  much,  or  more, 
than  the  patients  for  whom  it  was  pre- 
pared ;  and  if  some  doctors  of  divinity 
we  "wot  of"  had  exposed  the  errors  of 
Dr.  Upham's  writings  twenty  years  ago, 
instead  of  recommending  them  to  our 
people,  they  might  have  prevented 
some  of  the  fanaticism  which  is  now 
troubling  the  whole  Church  and  hin- 
dering Methodism  in  her  divine  commis- 
sion to  "  spread  scriptural  holiness  over 
these  lands."  Now  if  Dr.  Upham's 
theology  be  true,  then  it  follows  as  a 
necessary  sequence  that,  instead  of  our 
infirmities  and  physical  disorders  afford- 


1 34  The  Problem  of  Methodism. 

ing  us  an  opportunity  for  developing 
our  moral  powers  and  Christian  graces 
by  a  calm  endurance  and  a  perfect  res- 
ignation, they  will  rob  us  of  all  "  true 
peace  of  mind,"  and  "fill  us  with  peni- 
tent grief;  "  so  that  as  by  age  and  phys- 
ical decay  the  hoary-headed  pilgrim 
gradually  sinks  under  the  weight  of  in- 
firmities, instead  of  mounting  up  on 
wings  as  eagles  and  soaring  and  talking 
with  God  in  the  land  of  Beulah,  his 
"  infirmities  and  involuntary  sins  "  will 
multiply  upon  him,  sinking  him  deeper 
and  deeper  in  the  "slough  of  despond," 
while  "  humble  confession  "  becomes  the 
only  words  of  his  mouth,  and  "peni- 
tential grief"  the  sole  exercise  of  his 
pious  heart! 

SECTION   2.    A  LARGE  VIEW  OF  THE  PLAN 
OF  SALVATION. 

According    to   Bishop   Peck    in   his 


The  Modern  Fathers  in  Trouble.       135 

"  Central  Idea  of  Christianity"  the  re- 
generated believer  who  has  never  for- 
feited his  justified  state  must  go 
through  a  second  process  of  conviction, 
repentance,  faith,  etc.,  similar  to  that 
through  which  he  entered  the  new  life, 
before  he  can  be  cleansed  from  all  sin. 
Of  course  this  makes  regeneration  a 
'partial  work!  The  nine  prerequisites, 
as  laid  down  by  the  good  Bishop,  by 
which  the  partial  cleansing  of  regener- 
ation is  to  be  completed  are  as  follows : 
"  (1)  The  conviction  produced ;  (2)  the 
resolution  formed  ;  (3)  the  feeling  neces- 
sary ;  (4)  the  confession  required;  (5) 
the  consecration  made ;  (6)  the  faith  ex- 
ercised ;  (7)  the  prayer  offered  ;  (8)  the 
evidence  received  ;  (9)  the  responsibili- 
ty taken."  To  the  discussion  of  these 
nine  points  the  author  devotes  eighty- 
one  pages,  from  the  reading  of  which 


136  The  Problem  of  Methodism. 

I  rose  up  involuntarily  repeating,  "And 
found  no  end  in  wandering  mazes  lost, 
vain  wisdom  all,  and  false  philosophy !  " 
If  it  takes  that  long  to  get  from  regen- 
eration to  sanctification — the  "  Central 
Idea  of  Christianity  " — then  the  Bishop 
must  have  had  a  large  view  of  the  plan 
of  salvation!  The  difference  between 
Paul  and  Bishop  Peck  is  that  Paul  in 
every  place  he  uses  the  term  sanctifica- 
tion, except  one,  puts  it  in  immediate 
connection  with  justification,  and  on  one 
occasion  he  puts  it  jirst  (1  Cor.  vi.  11) ; 
while  the  good  Bishop  takes  eighty-one 
12mo  pages  to  get  his  justified  believ- 
ers to  his  central  idea — moral  purity! 
Instead  of  St.  John  taking  eighty-one 
pages,  he  puts  "confession,"  "forgive- 
ness," and  a  thorough  moral  "cleans- 
ing from  all  sin "  in  one  short  verse 
(1  John  i.  9).     Surely  Paul  and  John 


The  Modern  Fathers  in  Trouble.      137 

had  a  different  theory  of  the  divine  life, 
or  a  different  view  of  the  "  Central  Idea 
of  Christianity,"  or  a  shorter  road  to 
reach  it  than  Bishop  J.  T.  Peck ! 

SECTION  3.    A  NEW  DEPARTURE. 

If  Bishop  Peck  were  the  only  advo- 
cate of  the  theory  which  makes  regen- 
eration a  "partial  renovation "  and 
sanctification  a  "  second  change,"  and 
then  makes  this  theory  the  ''Central 
Idea  of  Christianity,"  I  would  lay  down 
my  pen ;  but  their  name  is  legion,  and 
still  they  come !  Men  and  women,  self- 
appointed  and  losing  sight  of  every 
thing  else,  are  giving  their  whole  time 
and  energies  to  this  "Central  Idea," 
and  are  calling  the  Church — the  whole 
Church — to  this  second  process  of  re- 
pentance, confession,  and  faith.  Camp- 
meetings  and  conventions  are  being 
held  for  this   specific  object,  at  which 


138  The  Problem  of  Methodism. 

no  minister,  elder,  or  Bishop  is  invited 
to  preach  or  preside  unless  he  can  pro- 
nounce this  Shibboleth  distinctly,  and, 
in  some  cases,  none  but  justified  believ- 
ers are  invited  to  the  altar  to  "  confess 
their  sins  and  find  true  peace  of  mind 
by  a  believing  application  of  the  aton- 
ing blood!"  Thus  have  things  gone 
on  until  now  an  organization  is  formed 
which  ignores  and  decries  all  Church  re- 
lation, and  whose  self-constituted  preach- 
ers travel  at  large  in  this  interest  and 
call  upon  all  justified  believers  who 
"  have  an  instinctive  conviction  that 
the  occasion  is  a  fitting  one  for  penitent 
grief  and  humble  confession,"  to  "come 
out  of  the  Church  "  that  they  may  "  find 
a  sense  of  forgiveness  and  be  sancti- 
fied." Is  it  not  time  for  some  one  to 
put  the  brake  on  this  "central  idea" 
car? 


The  Modern  Fathers  in  Trouble.       139 

That  there  is  a  great  want  of  person- 
al holiness  in  the  Church,  that  many  of 
her  members  have  "  left  their  first  love," 
and  others  have  "defiled  their  gar- 
ments," and  thereby  have  cause  to  con- 
fess and  forsake  their  personal  sins,  that 
the  whole  Church  needs  a  stronger  faith 
and  an  increase  of  the  spirit  of  prayer, 
I  am  ready  to  admit  and  deeply  de- 
plore ;  but  I  must  and  do,  in  the  "  fear 
of  God  and  in  the  love  of  the  Spirit," 
most  respectfully  enter  a  solemn  pro- 
test against  the  cause  assigned  for  these 
special  organizations  and  the  object 
proposed  as  being  in  theory  or  spirit 
any  part  of  Bible  religion,  much  less 
as  being  the  "  Central  Idea  of  Chris- 
tianity." Leaving  out  the  disorganizing 
spirit  that  has  already  manifested  itself 
in  many  places,  we  believe  that  the  "  res- 
idue theory  of  regeneration "  and  the 


140  The  Problem  of  Methodism. 

"  second  change  theory  of  sanctifica- 
tion  "  rest  upon  a  false  psychology  and 
a  misinterpretation  of  Scripture.  What 
a  fine  opportunity  Bishop  J.  S.  Key  had 
in  May,  1887,  when  he  delivered  that 
grand  sermon  on  "  Heart  Purity"  before 
the  "  Georgia  Holiness  Convention,"  to 
bring  out  some  of  the  historical  facts  I 
have  given ;  but  alas !  like  Mr.  Wes- 
ley, the  good  Bishop  was  committed  to 
the  "  residue  theory  "  and  the  "  second 
change  theory,"  and  this  fact  was  known 
to  those  who  invited  him  to  preach  be- 
fore that  Convention ! 

SECTION  4.    SAWING  OFF  LIMBS. 

The  advocates  of  the  "residue  the- 
ory," in  order  to  make  occasion  for  sanc- 
tification  to  come  after  regeneration, 
leave  something  in  the  regenerated 
heart  which  troubles  them  and  their 
theory  about  as  much  as  Dr.  Upham's 


The  Modern  Fathers  in  Trouble.      141 

"instinctive  convictions"  troubled  his 
justified  believers.  Whatever  it  is 
which  "  remains  in  the  heart  of  the  re- 
generate," according  to  their  own  testi- 
mony, "it  is  not  sin  proper"  for  that 
would  forfeit  pardon.  Yet,  when  they 
come  to  remove  this  mysterious  some- 
thing (which  has  been  called  by  so 
many  names),  they  prescribe  "convic- 
tion, repentance,  confession,  faith,  and  for- 
giveness /"  This  looks  very  much  like 
the  Bible  prescription  for  removing 
"sin  proper."  At  least  conviction,  con- 
fession, and  forgiveness"  imply  guilt, 
and  guilt  implies  condemnation! 

This  confusion  is  worse  confounded 
by  confounding  sanctification  with 
Christian  perfection,  and  then  trying  to 
hold  on  to  the  Bible  doctrine  of  instan- 
taneous sanctification.  Take  a  case  or 
two.     In  "Perfect  Love,"  page  55,  Rev. 


142  The  Problem  of  Methodism. 

J.  A.  Wood  says :  "  He  who  seeks  the 
gradual  attainment  of  entire  sanctifica- 
tion  seeks  necessarily  something  less 
than  entire  sanctification  now — that  is, 
he  does  not  seek  entire  sanctification  at 
all.  He  who  does  not  aim  at  the  extir- 
pation of  all  sin  from  his  heart  now 
tolerates  some  sin  in  his  heart  now. 
But  he  who  tolerates  sin  in  his  heart 
is  not  in  a  condition  to  offer  acceptable 
prayer  to  God.  '  If  I  regard  iniquity 
in  my  heart,  the  Lord  will  not  hear 
me.'  " 

Now  apply  this  sound  reasoning  and 
Bible  truth  to  the  hour  of  regeneration, 
and  see  how  unwittingly  Brother  Wood 
has  sawed  off  the  very  limb  on  which 
he  stood  as  an  advocate  for  "  partial 
renovation  in  regeneration !  "  Any  one 
can  see  that  the  "some  sin  tolerated  in 
the  heart  of  the  seeker  of  gradual  sane- 


The  Modern  Fathers  in  Trouble.      143 

tification,"  and  which  prevented  the 
Lord  from  hearing  his  prayer,  is  the 
identical  sin  left  in  his  heart  at  regen- 
eration and  creates  the  necessity  for 
sanctification  as  a  "  second  cleansing !  " 
To  deny  this  is  to  give  up  the  whole 
theory  of  "  sin  in  believers,"  and  leave 
no  cause  for  a  "second  cleansing"  un- 
less justification  has  been  forfeited  by 
actual  transgression,  as  it  had  been  in 
David's  case. 

Dr.  Hibbard,  as  quoted  by  Brother 
Wood,  says:  "We  deny  that  a  man 
ever  yet  gained  the  victory  over  any  sin 
while  his  will  retained  it,  even  with  the 
most  secret  or  tacit  approbation.  God 
will  have  thorough  work ;  and  full  sal- 
vation will  never  be  given  but  on  con- 
dition of  entire,  universal,  unconditional 
abandonment  of  all  sin  and  acceptance 
and  approval  of  all  the  will  of  God. 


144  The  Problem  of  Methodism. 

Then,  and  not  till  then,  will  come  the 
word  that  speaks  us  whole." 

All  this  I  steadfastly  believe ;  but  if 
applied  to  the  sinner  seeking  religion, 
then  down  goes  the  limb  on  which  Dr. 
Hibbard  stands.  We  would  like  to 
know  what  kind  of  conditions  the  jus- 
tified believer  negotiated  with  the  Al- 
mightv  bv  which  he  retained  the  sins 
which  this  "second  change  "  is  to  "  for- 
give "  and  "  cleanse."  If  "  sin  and  cor- 
ruption remain  in  the  regenerate,"  it 
remains  there  by  the  assent  of  the  will 
of  the  person  regenerated,  or  at  the 
will  and  pleasure  of  the  Almighty;  if 
not  by  the  consent  of  the  penitent,  then 
he  is  in  no  wise  responsible  for  it ;  and 
if  by  the  consent  of  the  penitent,  then 
the  Almmhtv  must  have  agreed  to  the 
reservation,  or  he  would  not  have  "jus- 
tified him  freely"  and  renewed  him  in 


The  Modern  Fathers  in  Trouble.      145 

his  own  image.  In  either  case  the  re- 
sponsibility of  this  "  remaining  sin  and 
corruption  "  left  in  the  regenerate  rests 
upon  God,  and  not  upon  the  "justified 
believer."  But  "  God  will  have  thor- 
ough work"  in  this  "  second  change" — 
even  "  entire,  universal,  unconditional 
abandonment  of  all  sin."  The  question 
now  is :  Can  a  man  be  justified  and  re- 
generated on  a  consecration  short  of 
"entire,  universal,  unconditional  aban- 
donment of  all  sin  ?  "  and  such  a  conse- 
cration being  made,  would  not  the 
"word  that  speaks  us  whole"  come  to 
him  then  and  there?  If  such  a  conse- 
cration secures  sanctification,  and  if  no 
man  can  be  justified  on  a  consecration 
less  than  that,  then  surely  "  every  one 
who  is  justified  is  also  sanctified."  So 
Mr.  Wesley  was  right  when  he  made 

the  "  washing  of  regeneration  and  the 
10 


146  The  Problem  of  Methodism. 

renewing  of  the  Holy  Ghost  include 
sanctification."  And  Dr.  Clarke  was 
risfht  also  when  he  said :  "  The  new 
birth  comprehends  not  only  justifica- 
tion, but  also  sanctification."  "  If  the 
Spirit  of  God  dwell  in  you  the  whole 
carnal  mind  will  be  destroyed."  "  He 
is  first  freely  justified — he  feels  no  con- 
demnation; he  is  fully  sanctified — he 
walks  not  after  the  flesh,  but  after  the 
Spirit." 

The  more  we  look  into  that  theory  of 
the  Christian  life  which  makes  "  regen- 
eration a  partial  renovation "  and 
"  sanctification  a  second  change,"  and 
then  confounds  sanctification  with 
Christian  perfection,  the  more  we  are 
impressed  with  its  want  of  harmony 
with  itself  and  the  word  of  God.  In 
"Perfect  Love,"  pages  55,  56,  Brother 
Wood  truly  says :   "  To  seek  a  gradual 


The,  Modern  Fathers  in  Trouble.       147 

purity  renders  the  attainment  of  entire 
sanctification  impossible.  It  does  so 
because  it  excludes  the  conditions  of 
entire  sanctification.  The  faith  which 
is  the  proximate  condition  of  entire 
sanctification  can  be  exercised  only  in 
connection  with  the  renunciation  of  all 
sin  and  complete  submission  to  God. 
Conscious  confidence  and  conscious  guilt 
can  not  exist  in  the  same  heart  at  the 
same  time — the  former  excludes  the 
latter." 

If  that  be  true,  and  I  believe  it  is 
true,  then  every  one  who  has  justifying 
faith  has  also  sanctifying  grace.  But 
if  "  conscious  confidence  and  conscious 
guilt  can  not  exist  in  the  same  heart  at 
the  same  time,"  how  can  Dr.  Upham's 
believer,  who  has  "instinctive  convic- 
tion" be  in  a  justified  state?  Are  we 
to  understand  that  "  instinctive  convic- 


148  The  Problem  of  Methodism. 

tions"  are  unconscious  convictions,  or 
that  the  guilt  which  "  conviction  and 
forgiveness"  imply  is  an  unconscious 
guilt  ? 

Again,  if  ''faith  can  only  be  exer- 
cised in  connection  with  the  renuncia- 
tion of  all  sin,"  how  can  any  one  ex- 
ercise justifying  faith  without  such  a 
renunciation,  and  if  "all  sin  be  re- 
nounced "  will  not  sanctification  take 
place  at  justification  ? 

Still  again,  if  "conscious  confidence 
and  conscious  guilt  cannot  exist  in  the 
same  heart  at  the  same  time,"  how  will 
Brother  Wood  and  Bishop  Peck  ever 
make  the  "  merely  regenerate  believer 
conscious  of  his  remaining  sin"  and  of 
his  need  of  this  u  second  change,"  with- 
out first  destroying  his  "  conscious  con- 
fidence" or  justifying  faith? 

Once   more:     the   advocates   of    the 


The  Modern  Fathers  in  Trouble.       149 

"residue  theory"  tell  us  that  "the 
merely  regenerate  has  remaining  im- 
purity," that  "  regeneration  is  a  partial 
renovation,"  that  "the  former  corrup- 
tions of  the  heart  remain  in  them  that 
are  regenerated  and  strive  for  the  mas- 
tery,"  that  "  the  carnal  mind  survives 
the  work  of  regeneration  and  is  often 
in  a  state  of  active  rebellion,"  and  that 
"  if  there  be  no  second  change  after  jus- 
tification, then  we  must  be  content  to 
remain  full  of  sin  until  death."  Now,  if 
this  be  the  true  state  of  the  regenerated 
heart,  is  there  no  "conscious  guilt?" 
If  not,  then  how  did  any  one  ever  as- 
certain that  all  this  "  sin  and  corruption 
remain  in  the  regenerate  "  soul  ?  But  if 
there  be  "  conscious  guilt,"  and  if  "con- 
scious guilt  excludes  conscious  confi- 
dence, or  faith,"  then  all  who  have  not 
received  this  "second  change"  are  des- 


150  The  Problem  of  Methodism. 

titute  of  justifying  faith  ;  or  else  "  con- 
scious guilt"  does  not  "exclude  con- 
scious confidence;"  or  else  a  man  may 
be  "full  of  sin  and  guilt,"  and  have 
them  both  removed  without  ever  being 
made  "conscious"  that  he  needed  a 
"second  change!"  "We  insist  that  the 
advocates  of  the  "residue  theory"  ei- 
ther abandon  their  theory  in  toto,  or  else 
untangle  their  theological  hank.  As 
an  advocate  of  the  "  residue  theory,"  no 
wonder  Bishop  J.  S.  Key,  D.D.,  "ap- 
pealed for  charity"  in  his  sermon  on 
"Heart  Purity,"  page  15.  The  case 
calls  for  all  the  charity  that  a  Christian 
possesses ;  but  can  "  charity  hide  such 
a  multitude  of  sins  "  as  the  above  cata- 
logue, all  of  which  are  said  to  "  remain 
in  them  that  are  regenerated?"  Per- 
haps the  good  Bishop,  when  he  made 
this  "appeal  for  charity,"  was  so  ab- 


The  Modern  Fathers  in  Trouble.       151 

sorbed  with  his  theme  that  for  the  mo- 
ment he  overlooked  the  fact  that  the 
author  of  the  thirteenth  chapter  of  First 
Corinthians  on  one  occasion  "  withstood 
Peter  to  the  face,  because  he  was  [in 
error  and  was]  to  be  blamed." 

How  much  more  rational  and  script- 
ural to  say  that  every  one  "born  of 
God"  is  "washed  clean  every  whit;" 
that  every  one  "  forgiven  "is  "  cleansed 
from  ail  unrighteousness,"  "from  all 
sin ; "  and  if  any  one  of  them  now  has 
"impurity,"  or  "is  full  of  sin  and 
guilt,"  it  is  because  he  has  failed  to 
"abide  in  Christ  and  keep  his  com- 
mandments," and  thereby  "denied  his 
garments." 

SECTION  5.  RESIDUE  THEORY  EXTRACTED 
WITH  A  PAIR  OF  BORROWED  FORCEPS. 

We  take  Brother  Wood's  "  unanswer- 
able  argument"   against  sanctification 


152  The  Problem  of  Methodism. 

being  a  growth,  and  with  it  we  lift  the 
"residue  theory  "  out  by  the  roots.  In 
his  "  Purity  and  Maturity"  page  148,  he 
says :  "  The  fact  that  inbred  sin  is  a 
unit  is  proof  that  we  cannot  obtain  free- 
dom from  it  by  growth  in  grace.  Like 
error,  inbred  sin  is  a  simple,  uncom- 
pounded  element  or  quality,  and  con- 
tinues unchangeably  the  same,  at  all 
times  and  under  all  circumstances.  It 
cannot  be  analyzed,  and  is  not  subject 
to  any  changes ;  and  in  its  essential 
nature  it  can  never  be  made  any  thing 
else.  Hence  it  cannot  be  divided  or  sub- 
divided and  removed  by  parts" 

Now  this  mysterious  something  which 
Brother  Wood  calls  "inbred  sin"  St. 
Paul  calls  the  "  carnal  mind,"  which  he 
affirms  is  "enmity  against  God,"  and 
which  Brother  Wood  affirms  "contin- 
ues unchangeably  the  same  at  all  times 


Tlie  Modern  Fathers  in  Trouble.       153 

and  under  all  circumstances."  Hence 
regeneration  either  leaves  the  soul  in  a 
state  of  "enmity  against  God,"  or  else 
lifts  "inbred  sin  "  out  by  the  roots  ;  for 
Brother  Wood  truly  says,  "  Inbred  sin 
can  not  be  divided  or  subdivided  and  re- 
moved by  parts."  So  if  "inbred  sin" 
— the  "carnal  mind" — can  not  be  di^ 
vided  and  removed  by  parts,"  it  is  folly 
to  talk  about  the  "  remains  of  the  car- 
nal mind"  in  a  regenerated  believer. 

Again :  All  the  advocates  of  the  "  res 
idue  theory"  tell  us  that  the  "sin" 
which  "remains  in  them  that  are  re- 
generate is  not  'sin  proper,'  which  is  '  a 
transgression  of  the  law,'  but  it  is  the 
1  remains  of  the  carnal  mind ' — the  '  cor- 
ruption of  the  nature  of  every  man  that 
is  naturally  engendered  of  the  offspring 
of  Adam' — hence  it  is  called  ' inbred 
sm.' "      Now   every    tyro    in   theology 


154  The  Problem  of  Methodism. 

knows  that  the  "standards"  all  teach 
that  the  "  necessity  of  the  new  birth 
grows  out  of  the  existence  of  this  '  in- 
bred sin;'"  so  that  if  the  new  birth 
does  not  remove  this  "inbred  sin,"  this 
"carnal  mind,"  this  natural  "corrup- 
tion of  our  nature,"  where  is  the  neces- 
sity of  "  being  born  again  ?  " 

SECTION  6.  A  FEW  FACTS;  AND  FACTS  ARE 
STUBBORN  THINGS. 

The  "higher  life"  to  which  the  re- 
generated believer  is  called  is  a  state 
which  is  reached  by  a  proper  unfolding 
and  exercise  of  the  graces  of  the  "new 
man,"  and  not  by  a  second  process  of 
repentance  and  cleansing  to  remove 
moral  corruption  left  in  us  at  regenera- 
tion. To  "renew,  according  to  the 
[original]  divine  pattern  in  uprightness 
and  moral  purity,"  is  truly  God-like; 
and  to  use  these  renewed  and  purified 


The  Modern  Fathers  in  Trouble.       155 

powers  so  as  not  to  fall  into  sin  again, 
but  to  "perfect  holiness  in  the  fear  of 
God,"  is  the  whole  duty  and  the  high- 
est glory  of  man ! 

The  truth  is,  if  we  make  those  men- 
tal states  which  have  been  called  "  sin 
in  believers"  the  result  of  moral  cor- 
ruption, which  regenerating  grace  could 
not  or  did  not  remove,  we  charge  God 
with  arbitrarily  demanding  of  the  re- 
generated believer  a  life  of  holiness 
when  he  has  failed  to  supply  him  with 
one  of  the  indispensable  prerequisites 
of  such  a  life — viz.,  a  pure  moral  nature — 
and  we  also  make  regeneration  a  'partial 
work,  or  else  exclude  from  it  the  idea 
of  moral  ren  ovation  altogether !  Which 
horn  of  this  dilemma  will  the  reader 
take? 

The  great  mistake  of  those  who  have 
written  upon  the  "higher  life  "  is  found 


156  The  Problem  of  Methodism. 

in  the  fact  that  they  have  all  confound- 
ed sanctification  with  Christian  perfec- 
tion; whereas  they  should  have  made 
regeneration  include  sanctification,  and 
then  drawn  a  distinction  between  re- 
generation and  perfection.  In  regener- 
ation the  man  is  "  created  anew,  accord- 
ing to  the  divine  pattern,  in  uprightness 
and  moral  purity,"  and  all  the  condi- 
tions and  principles  of  a  holy  life  are 
given ;  in  perfection  we  have  all  these 
principles  unfolded  in  the  maturity  of 
the  Christian  graces :  the  one  is  always 
complete  in  itself,  the  other  exhibits 
different  degrees  of  development.  The 
divine  life  realized  at  the  new  birth  is 
not  two,  but  one.  This  life,  like  all 
life,  is  a  growth;  and  this  growth,  like 
all  growth,  has  its  different  stages. 

The  "residue  theory"  has  been  the 
source  of  no  little  trouble  in  Methodism 


The  Modern  Fathers  in  Trouble.      157 

for  more  than  a  century — the  cause  of 
untold  difficulties  to  the  young  Chris- 
tian— the  mystery  of  orthodox  theology, 
and  more  bewildering  to  the  young 
preacher  than  the  enigmatical  philoso- 
phy of  the  Persians ;  and,  if  carried  to 
its  legitimate  sequences,  it  would  over- 
throw the  very  foundations  of  Christi- 
anity ! 


CHAPTER  VI. 

"  Regeneration  a  Partial  Renova- 
tion." 

SECTION  I.  A  BRIEF  REVIEW. 

We  have  shown  that  the  residue  the- 
ory of  regeneration  was  expunged  from 
our  Articles  of  Faith.  We  have  exam- 
ined those  mental  states  and  those 
Scripture  texts  which  were  supposed  to 
teach  that  "  sin  remained  in  them  that 
are  regenerated,"  and  found  that  both 
could  be  explained  without  adopting  the 
"residue  theory."  We  have  examined 
the  Bible  idea  of  regeneration,  and  found 
that  regeneration  includes  sanctifies tion. 
We  have  seen  some  of  the  confusion 
and  absurdities  of  both  Mr.  Wesley  and 
the  modern  Fathers  in  trying  to  har- 
monize their  residue  theory  with  itself 
(158) 


"Regeneration  a  Partial  Renovation."  159 

and  with  the  Bible  idea  of  the  divine 
life.  So  far  we  have  assumed  that  the 
residue  theory  of  necessity  made  regen- 
eration a  "partial  work" — a  "partial 
renovation."  In  this  review  we  will  let 
the  advocates  of  this  "theory"  state 
their  views  in  their  own  language.* 

Mr.  Wesley  says :  "  If  there  be  no 
second  change  after  justification,  .  .  . 
then  we  must  remain  full  of  sin  until 
death." 

Mr.  R.  Watson  says:  "In  this  re- 
generate state,  the  former  corruptions 
of  the  heart  may  remain  and  strive  for 
the  mastery." 

Bishop  Foster  says  :  "  The  merely  re- 
generate are  not  entirely  free  from  sin." 

*  Our  quotations  are  taken  from  "  Perfect  Love" 
by  Rev.  J.  A.  Wood,  a  book  consisting  mainly  of 
quotations  from  authors  who  hold  and  defend  the 
"  residue  theory." 


160  The  Problem  of  Methodism. 

Dr.  D.  Curry  says :  "  This  carnal 
mind  survives  the  work  of  regeneration, 
and  is  often  actively  rebellious  in  the 
hearts  of  real  Christians." 

Dr.  Dick  says:  "Although  in  regen- 
eration holy  principles  are  infused  into 
the  soul,  yet  the  change  produced  is  only 
partial." 

Rev.  J.  A.  Wood  says :  "As  long  as 
Christians  live  in  a  partially  purified 
state,"  etc.  "  This  new  life  has  exist- 
ence in  a  soul  partially  carnal  in  the 
mere  regenerate.  .  .  .  Regeneration 
removes  some  sin  or  pollution." 

Dr.  J.  Dempster  says :  "  You  ask, 
then,  in  what  does  regeneration  consist? 
Simply  in  this  threefold  change,  viz. : 
justification,  partial  renovation,  and  dir 
vine  adoption." 

We  could  multiply  such  quotations 
almost  indefinitely,  but  the  above  are 


"Regeneration  a  Fartial  Renovation."  161 

enough  to  show  the  low  estimate  all  these 
authors  put  upon  regeneration.  Two  of 
them — Brother  Wood  and  Bishop  Fos- 
ter— speak  of  those  who  have  been 
"born  of  the  Spirit,"  have  been  "made 
partakers  of  Christ,"  "of  the  Holy 
Ghost,"  "of  the  divine  nature,"  "cre- 
ated anew  in  righteousness  and  true 
holiness  " — they  speak  of  such  as  the 
"  mere  regenerate."  Dr.  Dick  says  "  the 
change  produced  is  only  partial,''*  and 
Dr.  Dempster  says  it  is  "simply  &  par- 
tial renovation."     There  it  is:   "Mere 

REGENERATION  SIMPLY  CONSISTS  IN  A 
PARTIAL  CHANGE,  A  PARTIAL  RENOVA- 
TION! "  What  will  Mr.  Orthodoxy 
think  and  say  of  all  this?  Surely  he 
has  been  on  a  journey,  or  taking  a  nap, 
while  these  modern  Fathers  have  been 
dressing  up  this  "  new  man  ?  "     With 

the  "carnal    mind  still  surviving  the 
11 


162  The  Problem  of  Methodism. 

death  throes  of  crucifixion  and  in  a  state 
of  active  rebellion,"  with  "the  former 
corruptions  of  the  heart  still  remaining 
and  striving  for  the  mastery,"  he  looks 
more  like  St.  Paul's  "old  man"  crying 
out,  "Who  shall  deliver  me  from  the 
body  of  this  death?"  than  St.  Paul's 
11  new  man  which  is  created  after  the  di- 
vine pattern  in  uprightness  and  moral  pu- 
rity." 

Now  this  residue  theory  is  either  the 
"  remains  of  Antinomianism  in  our  Ar- 
minian  theology,"  or  else  it  is  a  twin 
brother  thereof,  and  had  its  origin  in  a 
misinterpretation  of  St.  Paul's  Epistles. 
The  application  of  the  seventh  chapter 
of  Romans  to  a  regenerated  man  is  no 
greater  perversion  of  Scripture  than  is 
made  in  trying  to  prove  the  residue 
theory  by  proof-texts  and  Scripture  ex- 
amples!     And   the   analogy   does    not 


"Regeneration  a  Partial  Renovation?'  163 

stop  at  this;  for  when  this  "residue 
theory  "  gets  fixed  in  the  mind  of  a  man, 
I  had  as  soon  try  to  explain  the  sev- 
enth chapter  of  Romans  to  an  Antino- 
mian  Calvinist  as  to  reason  with  him. 
Hence,  my  object  in  writing  these  pages 
is  not  to  convert  any  one  who  holds  the 
"residue  theory,"  but  to  relieve  those 
who  are  bewildered  by  the  absurdities 
involved  in  this  theory,  and  to  show  all 
concerned  that  a  man  may  reject  the 
"  residue  theory  "  and  still  be  in  accord 
with  our  Articles  of  Faith  and  in  har- 
mony with  our  "  standards,"  so  far 
as  they  are  in  harmony  with  them- 
selves and  the  plain  teaching  of  the 
Bible. 

SECTION  2.  AN  IMPORTANT  DISCOVERY. 

We  would  start  the  young  convert, 
the  newborn  soul,  and  the  reclaimed 
backslider  exactly  on  the  same  plane  of 

WOFFOBD  COLLEGE  LIBRARY 


164  The  Problem  of  Methodism. 

moral  purity  which  is  claimed  for  one 
who  has  received  this  "  second  change." 
St.  John's  theory  of  the  divine  life  is : 
"  If  we  confess  our  sins,  he  is  faithful 
and  just  to  forgive  us  our  sins  and  to 
cleanse  us  from  all  unrighteousness. 
.  .  .  My  little  children,  these  things 
write  I  unto  you,  that  ye  sin  not.  And 
if  any  man  sin,  we  have  an  Advocate 
with  the  Father,  Jesus  Christ  the 
righteous ;  and  he  is  the  propitiation 
for  our  sins ;  and  not  for  ours  only,  but 
also  for  the  sins  of  the  whole  world." 
(1  John  i.  9;  ii.  1;  2.)  In  this  theory 
entire  sanctification — a  "  cleansing  from 
all  unrighteousness" — follows  "forgive- 
ness ; "  and  the  "  second  cleansing  "  was 
contingent  upon  such  a  man  "  com- 
mitting sin,"  and  not  because  "  regener- 
ation is  a  partial  renovation — a  partial 
change" 


"Regeneration  a  Partial  Renovation''  165 

Dr.  T.  0.  Summers  truly  says :  "  Re- 
generation is  an  instantaneous  work — - 
it  admits  of  no  degrees,  of  no  progres- 
sion. We  can  not  be  partially  regener- 
ated— we  are,  or  are  not,  born  again." 
As  justification  cancels  the  guilt  of  sin, 
so  regeneration  removes  the  corruption 
of  sin.  God  can  no  more  cleanse  us  in 
fart  than  he  can  forgive  us  in  part. 
Hence  Dr.  Summers  says:  "It  is  cer- 
tain that  regeneration  extends  to  our 
whole  moral  nature.  In  the  new  birth 
the  tone,  the  temper,  and  tendency  of  our 
minds  are  changed ;  the  current  of  our 
feelings  is  made  to  run  in  a  different 
channel,  and  the  capacity  to  do  the  will 
of  God  is  imparted."  (Dr.  T.  O.  Sum- 
mers on  Holiness.) 

What  the  Doctor  here  calls  a  "ca- 
pacity to  do  the  will  of  God"  is  what 
We  mean  by  the  conditions  and  prin- 


166  The  Problem,  of  Methodism. 

ciples  of  holiness,  and  what  Paul  means 
by  "putting  on  the  new  man,  which  is 
created  according  to  the  divine  pattern 
in  uprightness  and  moral  purity." 
Such  a  man  is  at  one  with  his  Maker 
- — "created  anew  in  the  image  of  God" 
— with  the  "  Holy  Spirit  to  dwell  in 
him  and  guide  him  into  all  truth."  But 
while  in  the  first  stages  of  the  Chris- 
tian life  all  those  mental  states  which 
have  been  mistaken  for  the  "remains 
of  the  carnal  mind"  and  the  "motions 
of  inbred  sin,"  will,  more  or  less,  enter 
into  his  experience ;  yet,  in  their  origin, 
they  are  nothing  more  than  the  power 
of  temptation  made  doubly  strong  by 
old  habits;  and  while  we  fear  that 
many — nearly  all — yield  now  and  then 
to  temptation  and  commit  sin — "defile 
their  garments  " — yet  there  is  no  moral 
necessity  for  it.     Every  one   "born  of 


"Regeneration  a  Partial  Renovation."  167 

God"  might  "go"  right  "on  to  perfec- 
tion" by  "abiding  in  Christ  and  keep- 
ing his  commandments." 

While  perfection  is  a  "higher  life" 
than  regeneration,  yet  this  "  higher 
life  "  is  nothing  more  than  the  pure  babe 
in  Christ  developed  into  a  mature  man  or 
woman  in  Christ  Jesus ;  together  with 
the  moral  character  which  is  superin- 
duced by  a  retroaction  from  the  activity 
involved  in  the  conflict  with  evil  in 
maintaining  &  pure  heart  and  a  justified 
state.  "Sin  is  not  a  substance  but  an 
act;  not  a  thing  existing,  but  a  thing 
done;  "  and  moral  corruption  is  a  retro- 
action which  supervenes  upon  this  vol- 
untary wrong  act,  inducing  a  wrong  state 
of  our  moral  powers.  Vice  versa,  virtue 
is  not  a  substance,  but  an  act;  not  a 
thing  existing,  but  a  thing  done;  and 
holiness  is  the  result,  or  the  retroaction, 


168  The  Problem  of  Methodism. 

of  voluntary  right  action.  Now  God 
supplies  all  the  essential  conditions*  of 
holiness,  and  we  are  to  "perfect  holi- 
ness in  the  fear  of  God"  "by  abiding 
in  Christ  and  keeping  his  command- 
ments"— by  "abiding  in  him  and  sin- 
ning not." 

We  should  never  forget  that  the  pos- 
session of  all  the  moral  faculties  in  a 
pure  state  and  the  possession  of  holi- 
ness are  two  distinct  things.  The  es- 
sential conditions  of  a  moral  agent 
being  given,  the  self-active  power  of  the 
will,  together  with  the  reflex  actions  of 
the  will,  are  the  origin  and  cause  of  all 
virtue  and  holiness,  all  sin  and  moral 
corruption  in  man.  If  this  metaphys- 
ical and  psychological  postulate  be  con- 
stantly kept  in  mind,  then  all  will  be 

'* These  conditions  are  intelligence,  moral  free- 
dona,  moral  purity,  and  a  rule  of  life — a  law. 


"Regeneration  a  Partial  Renovation."  169 

clear ;  but  if  it  be  overlooked  or  ignored, 
then  we  are  without  chart  or  compass, 
driving  into  a  darker  sea  at  every 
plunge !  Now,  one  of  the  indispensable 
prerequisites  of  a  moral  agent  in  order 
to  holy  living  is  &  pure  moral  nature  to 
begin  with ;  hence,  God  created  Adam 
pure — free  from  all  moral  taint.  We 
have  now  discovered  the  true  philosophy 
of  the  Christian  life,  which  unfolds  to 
us  the  nature  and  extent  of  regener- 
ation. In  arranging  the  plan  of  salva- 
tion God  saw  that  in  the  very  nature 
of  things  justification  would  be  of  no 
avail  to  fallen,  corrupt  man,  unless  his 
moral  nature  was  "purified"  and  "re- 
newed in  the  image  of  him  who  created  him  ;  " 
so  God  provided  means  by  which,  in 
every  case  where  he  forgives  sins,  then 
and  there  he  "  cleanses  us  from  all  un- 
righteousness,"  and  "  creates  us  anew 

JWQFFORD  C0LLE6E  LIBRARY 


*•: *  / 


* 


170  The  Problem  of  Methodism. 

according  to  the  [original]  divine  pattern  in 

UPRIGHTNESS  and  MORAL  PURITY."  *      So 

that  every  one  who  is  justified  is  also  "  ful- 
ly SANCTIFIED." 

So  patent  is  this  fact,  that  Dr.  Sum- 
mers says :  "  Justification  without  sanc- 
tification  would  be  of  no  advantage  to 
us.  What  if  our  sins  were  pardoned — 
what  if  we  were  restored  to  the  favor 
of  God  ?  If  our  hearts  were  not  renewed 
and  our  lives  regulated  by  the  Spirit  of 
grace,  we  should  forfeit  our  justifica- 
tion as  soon  as  received;  we  should  in- 
volve ourselves  immediately  in  guilt 
and  condemnation.  To  retain  the  di- 
vine favor  we  must  be  born  again." 
("  Holiness,"  page  22.)  Observe,  Dr. 
Summers    not    only    uses    the    terms 

*  If  any  prefer,  they  may  read  "  in  righteous- 
ness and  true  holiness  " — the  other  is  a  better  trans- 
lation of  Eph.  iv.  24. 


"Regeneration  a  Partial  Renovation."  171 

"born  again,"  "renewed,"  and  "sancti- 
fication,"  to  express  the  same  work  of 
grace,  but  he  also  declares  that  the 
work  of  grace  expressed  by  these  terms 
must  immediately  follow  justification; 
else  "  we  should  forfeit  our  justification 
as  soon  as  received."  When  Dr.  Sum- 
mers wrote  the  above  paragraph  he 
knew  that  Mr.  Wesley  had  said :  "  To 
be  born  again  is  to  be  inwardly  changed 
from  all  sinfulness  to  all  holiness"  And 
that  Dr.  Clarke  had  said:  "Sin  must 
be  pardoned,  and  the  impurity  of  the 
heart  washed  away  before  any  soul  can 
possibly  enter  into  the  kingdom  of  God. 
This  new  birth  implies  the  renewing  of 
the  whole  soul  in  righteousness  and  true 
holiness."  "  He  is  first  freely  justified 
— he  feels  no  condemnation ;  he  is  ful- 
ly sanctified — he  walks  not  after  the 
flesh,  but  after  the  Spirit." 


172  The  Problem  of  Methodism. 

SECTION  3.  ANALYZING  CHRISTIAN  EXPERI- 
ENCE IN  A  PSYCHOLOGICAL  CRUCIBLE. 

We  are  now  prepared  to  examine  the 
experience  of  those  who  have  professed 
to  have  "obtained  sanctification  as  a 
second  change,  cleansing  them  from  all 
sin."  The  facts  can  all  be  accounted 
for  from  our  stand-point  and  reconciled 
with  our  theory  of  the  divine  life.  That 
they  had  a  consciousness  of  inward  cor- 
ruption after  regeneration,  and  before 
they  received  the  "second  blessing," 
may  be  true;  but  whence  came  this 
consciousness  of  impurity?  Did  it 
originate  in  the  supposed  fact  that  "  re- 
generation is  a  partial  renovation,"  or 
in  the  fact  that  they  mistook  a  severe 
temptation — the  uprising  of  desire  un- 
der enticement — for  "the  remains  of  the 
carnal  mind,"  the  "motions  of  inbred 
sin,"  or  in  the  fact  that  they  failed  at 
some  point  to  "fulfill  the  righteousness 


"Regeneration  a  Partial  Renovation.'"  173 

of  the  law  by  walking  after  the  flesh, 
and  not  after  the  Spirit?" '  We  do  not 
accuse  them  of  "denying  the  faith," 
nor  of  having  given  up  their  "  original 
purpose  to  serve  God  and  get  to  heav- 
en," but  of  having  failed  in  the  dis- 
charge of  some  duty,  or  having  yielded 
to  some  temptation  and  of  committing 
some  sin ;  and  every  sin,  whether  of 
omission  or  of  commission,  leaves  a 
stain  of  moral  corruption.  Now,  if  a 
sinner  who  has  never  "tasted  of  the 
heavenly  gift"  has  deep  compunctions 
of  conscience  in  the  hour  of  conviction 
and  repentance,  how  much  more  they 
who  have  sinned  against  the  light  of 
Christian  experience?  When  David 
was  in  such  deep  agony,  and  prayed  for 
a  "clean  heart"  and  a  "renewed  spir- 
it," he  was  a  backslider,  and  not  a  "par- 
tially renovated"  convert.     When  Chris- 


174  The  Problem  of  Methodism. 

tians  pass  through  such  a  crucible,  and 
are  restored  to  moral  purity,  it  would 
be  strange  if  they  did  not  profit  by  such 
an  experience — especially  if  they  begin 
to  seek  this  restoration  with  the  idea 
fixed  in  their  minds  that  it  is  their 
privilege  to  be  "  cleansed  from  all  sin," 
and  then  to  "abide  in  Christ  and  sin 
not."  But  how  much  better  for  them 
if  they  had  been  told  at  regeneration 
that  they  were  "forgiven  and  cleansed 
from  all  unrighteousness,"  being  "  cre- 
ated anew  according  to  the  divine  pat- 
tern in  uprightness  and  moral  purity," 
and  that  they  might  go  right  on  to  per- 
fection by  "abiding  in  Christ  and  keep- 
ing his  commandments." 

We  do  not  deny,  but  believe,  that 
thousands  have  sought  sanctification  as 
a  "  second  blessing,"  and  that  the}'-  were 
then   and    there   sanctified — "  cleansed 


"Regeneration  a  Partial  Renovation."  175 

from  all  unrighteousness,"  "from  all 
sin  " — but  that  does  not  prove  that  they 
were  not  "cleansed  from  all  unright- 
eousness" when  they  were  first  "for- 
given." Not  at  all ;  for  according  to 
John  such  a  "  forgiveness  "  and  "  cleans- 
ing" go  hand  in  hand,  and  he  pledges 
the  "faithfulness  and  justice"  of  God 
to  this  order  in  their  reception.  (1  John 
i.9.) 

We  should  be  very  careful  how  we 
adopt  every  theory  of  the  divine  life 
which  may  claim  to  be  evolved  from 
Christian  experience.  When  we  re- 
member that  not  one  man  in  every 
thousand  is  capable  of  so  analyzing  his 
own  mental  states  as  to  give  any  cor- 
rect theory  of  mental  philosophy,  it  be- 
hooves us  to  go  slow  in  forming  a  "  the- 
ory11 of  the  Christian  life  from  data 
gathered  from  what  men  say  they  have 


176  The  Problem  of  Methodism. 

experienced ;  not  but  what  they  are 
honest,  but  because  so  few  are  capable 
of  so  analyzing  and  classifying  their 
mental  states  and  feelings  as  to  give 
data  for  such  a  purpose.  We  know  as 
an  historical  fact  that  some  of  the  first 
who  professed  to  have  obtained  sancti- 
fication  as  a  "second  change,"  in  less 
than  a  week  after  Mr.  Wesley  had  ac- 
cepted the  theory  on  their  testimony, 
began  to  testify  that  they  had  "re- 
ceived a  third  change  or  blessing  which 
raised  them  above  temptation,"  etc. ; 
and  to  meet  this  fanaticism  Mr.  Wes- 
ley wrote  and  published  his  sermon  on 
"  Sin  in  Believers." 

There  is  a  wide  difference  between 
analyzing  and  classifying  known  facts 
until  they  crystallize  into  a  "theory," 
and  assuming  a  "theory"  and  then  try- 
ing to  find  facts  to  sustain  it.    It  is  very 


"Regeneration  a  Partial  Renovation"  177 

easy  to  assume  that  "regeneration  is  a 
partial    renovation,"    leaving    "inbred 
sin  "  and  a  "residue  of  the  carnal  mind 
in  the  regenerated  heart,"  and  then  ap- 
peal to  the  consciousness  of  the  average 
Church-member,  and  get  a  verdict  from 
thousands  in  favor  of  conscious  impurity, 
especially  when  learned  doctors  have 
mistaken  the  mental  excitement  caused 
by  a  severe  temptation  for  the  "  carnal 
mind  in  a  state  of  active  rebellion ! " 
But  put  all  the  facts  into  a  'psychological 
crucible  and  analyze  them  in  the  light  of 
Gods  word,  and  we  find  that  they  were 
"cleansed  every  whit"  when  they  were 
"washed  in  the  laver  of  regeneration 
and  renewed  by  the  Holy  Ghost ; "  and 
that  the  reason  they  now  have  a  con- 
sciousness of   impurity  arises   from  a 
mistaken  idea  of  the  mental  states  in- 
volved in  temptation,  or  from  the  fact 
12 


178  The  Problem  of  Methodism. 

that  they  have  "  left  their  first  love " 
and  "defiled  their  garments." 

The  old  Antinomian  idea,  that  it  is 
necessary  for  us  to  sin  all  through  life, 
and  that  all  sins  committed  after  justi- 
fication are  to  be  charged  up  to  the 
"old  man,"  and  not  to  the  "new  man" 
— I  say  this  old  Antinomian,  Calvin- 
istic  idea  of  the  Christian  life  has  been 
greatly  strengthened  in  the  minds  of 
our  people  by  those  who  are  always 
teaching  that  "regeneration  is  a, partial 
renovation,"  leaving  the  "carnal  mind 
in  a  state  of  active  rebellion,"  and  that 
all  this  "remaining  corruption"  and 
"heart  impurity"  is  compatible  with  a 
justified  state!  We  do  not  charge  such 
teachers  with  impure  motives,  but  with 
error,  and  a  "zeal  not  according  to 
knowledge."  When  holiness  becomes 
a  hobby,  and  is  ridden  in  the  interest  of 


"Regeneration  a  Partial  Renovation."  179 

an  independent  organization,  it  is  time 
the  Church  of  Christ  should  rescue  it 
from  such  a  position  and  give  it  its 
proper  place  in  her  teachings.  I  deal 
not  with  motives — I  leave  that  to  the 
Master — but  with  facts  and  teachings 
and  their  palpable  influences  and  issues. 
I  think  the  salvation  provided  in  the 
gospel  is  a  unit — entire,  indivisible,  per- 
fect. 

SECTION    4.    OFFERING    STRANGE    FIRE    ON 
METHODIST  ALTARS-A  NEW  DEPARTURE. 

The  reader  of  these  pages  may  have 
regarded  some  of  mv  criticisms  too  se- 
vere ;  but  having  read  every  thing  that 
I  could  find  in  book  form  and  a  vast 
amount  of  periodical  literature  on  this 
subject,  my  diagnosis  of  the  case  was :  it 
calls  for  heroic  treatment.  In  the  Texas 
Christian  Advocate  of  October  6,  1887, 
I  find  an  article  of  nearlv  three  columns 


180  The  Problem  of  Methodism. 

on  "  sanctification  as  taught  by  John  Wes- 
ley" written  by  Rev*.  A.  H.  Sutherland 
in  reply  to  some  brother  who  had  dared 
to  express  his  views  and  doubts  about 
the  "  residue  theory  of  regeneration  and 
the  second  change  theory  of  sanctifica- 
tion." After  quoting  the  usual  para- 
graphs from  Mr.  Wesley — paragraphs 
that  have  been  quoted  so  much  that 
some  editors  and  proof-readers  must 
have  learned  them  all  by  rote  long 
ago — Brother  Sutherland  proceeds  to 
make  the  following  appeal  and  denunci- 
ation : 

"Therefore,  why  oppose  those  who 
are  doing  exactly  what  Mr.  Wesley  did 
and  enjoined  ?  Why  do  you  not  do  that 
way?  Because  you  do  not  believe  that 
way  ?  Then  why  continue  in  a  Church 
whose  most  distinctive,  distinguished, 
and  glorious  doctrine  you  reject  ?    Why 


"Regeneration  a  Partial  Renovation."  181 

come  to  her  altars  to  offer  your  strange 
fire  ?  Why  stand  around  her  tables  for 
your  bread  ?  I  declare  to  you  there  is 
distinctiveness  in  your  doctrine  to  jus- 
tify a  new  Church;  for  there  is  no 
Church  on  earth  that  holds  it  as  a  tenet. 
No  Church — no,  not  one  besides  the 
Methodist— believes  in  entire  sanctifica- 
tion  before  death.  Nor  does  she  believe 
it  to  be  co-etaneous  with  justification 
and  regeneration  and  the  new  birth. 
You  enjoy  the  distinction — which  is  no 
honor — of  being  a  class,  almost  a  party, 
in  a  Church  which  believes  that  which 
is  not  yet  a  creed,  and  of  teaching  that 
which  your  Church  emphatically  con- 
demns (?).  Brethren,  take  my  advice, 
suffer  the  word  of  exhortation  ;  retrace 
your  steps,  re-read  your  standards,  be 
converted  from  the  error  of  your  ways 
[and  then  seek  the  second  change],  or 


182  The  Problem  of  Methodism. 

quietly  withdraw  from  our  Church  with 
our  tears  and  our  prayers." 

On  this  remarkable  appeal,  denuncia- 
tion, declamation,  and  exhortation,  so 
beautifully  combined  and  interspersed 
with  "  prayers "  and  suffused  with 
"tears,"  I  have  a  few  points  to  make. 
1.  No  one  can  analyze  the  document 
without  seeing  that  with  Brother  Suth- 
erland to  oppose  the  "residue  theory  of 
regeneration  and  the  second  change 
theory  of  sanctification "  is  to  oppose 
sanctification  itself.  In  other  words, 
Brother  Sutherland  has  things  so  con- 
fused that  he  can  not  draw  the  distinc- 
tion between  rejecting  his  theory  of  sanc- 
tification and  rejecting  the  doctrine  of 
sanctification.  To  deny  this  criticism 
is  to  make  him  write  nonsense ;  and  to 
admit  the  truth  and  justice  of  the  crit- 
icism is  to  say  that  Brother  Sutherland 


"Regeneration  a  Partial  Renovation."  183 

was  fighting  a  man  of  straw.  There  is 
no  use  in  reasoning  with  a  man  who 
can  not  distinguish  between  a  certain 
theory  of  a  doctrine  and  the  doctrine 
itself.  Hence,  I  have  already  said  that 
I  have  no  hope  of  converting  such  a 
man — no,  not  if  I  could  reason  like 
Lord  Bacon,  and  exhort  like  Rev.  A.  H. 
Sutherland,  and  weep  like  Jeremiah  the 
prophet.  2.  When  Brother  Suther- 
land said  that  those  who  reject  the 
residue  theory  "  enjoyed  the  distinction — 
which  is  no  honor — of  bein^  a  class  in  a 
Church  who  believe  that  which  is  not 
yet  a  creed,"  did  he  know  that  we  en- 
joyed both  the  distinction  and  the  honor 
of  being  in  a  Church  from  whose  Creed 
this  same  "residue  theory,"  which  we 
reject,  was  expunged  by  Mr.  Wesley  s  own 
hand  ?  If  he  did,  was  he  not  a  little 
hasty  when  he  in  "  tears  "  invited  us  to 

WQFFORD  COLLEGE  LIBRARV 


184  The  Problem  of  Methodism. 

"  quietly  withdraw  from  the  Church  "  for 
rejecting  an  expurgated  theory?  If  he 
did  not  know  this  historical  fact,  would 
not  an  "exhortation  to  re-read  our 
standards,"  and  add  a  little  Church  his- 
tory and  the  Articles  of  Faith  to  the 
course  be  well  timed,  especially  as  it 
might  save  the  good  brother  a  good 
many  imaginary  "  tears  "  by  removing 
the  hypothetical  cause?  3.  When 
Brother  Sutherland  said  that  those  who 
hold  and  teach  that  regeneration  and 
ganctification  are  co-etaneous,  "  are 
teaching  that  which  our  Church  emphat- 
ically condemns"  did  he  know  that  in 
teaching  thus  we  were  in  perfect  accord 
with  our  expurgated  Articles  of  Faith 
as  prepared  by  Wesley  himself;  that 
we  were  in  accord  with  our  "  standard 
authors  "  so  far  as  they  are  in  harmony 
tyith  themselves ;  and  that  we  were  in 


"Regeneration  a  Partial  Renovation."  185 

perfect  accord  with  the  word  of  God, 
especially  as  that  word  is  expounded 
in  Mr.  Wesley's  "Notes"  and  Clarke's 
"  Commentary  ?  "  If  he  did  know  all 
this,  what  did  he  mean,  and  to  whom 
did  he  refer,  when  he  said  the  "  Church 
emphatically  condemns  "  such  "  teach- 
ing?" And  what  did  he  mean  by  call- 
ing such  teaching  "  offering  strange 
fire"  on  the  "altars"  of  our  Church? 
But  if  he  was  ignorant  of  these  facts, 
instead  of  "  re-reading  our  standards," 
I  think  he  had  better  read  them.  4. 
After  showing  that  there  were  some  in 
the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church,  South, 
who  rejected  his  theory  of  sanctification, 
he  asks  (not  in  "tears"),  "Why  then 
continue  in  a  Church  whose  most  dis- 
tinctive, distinguished,  and  glorious  doctrine 
you  reject?"  Reject  what?  The  "glo- 
rious doctrine  of  sanctification?  "    Nay, 


186  The  Problem  of  Methodism. 

my  brother,  only  your  theory  of  it — that 
is  all !  Does  Brother  Sutherland  really 
know  that  the  "  distinctive,  distin- 
guished, and  glorious  doctrine  "  of  gen- 
uine Methodism  is  "a  present,  full  sal- 
vation from  all  sin,  by  faith  in  Christ" — 
thus  ignoring  the  Romish  purgatory 
after  death,  and  the  Calvinistic  purga- 
tory in  death,  and  the  residue  purga- 
tory of  the  second  change  theory ;  and 
that  in  rejecting  the  residue  theory  in 
toto  we  are  only  doing  for  our  theory  of 
the  divine  life  what  Mr.  Wesley  did  for 
our  Creed.  Because  Mr.  Wesley,  as  a 
loyal,  consistent  minister  of  the  Church 
of  England,  accepted  the  residue  theory 
as  taught  in  her  Ninth  Article ;  and  be- 
cause Mr.  W'esley  struggled  with  the 
absurdities  of  this  theory  for  forty  years, 
until  finally  he  rejected  it  so  far  as  to 
expunge  it  from  the  Articles  of  Faith 


"Regeneration  a  Partial  Renovation."  187 


prepared  for  American  Methodists, 
shall  we  now  turn  round  and  put  our 
necks  under  this  "yoke  which  neither 
we  nor  our  fathers  were  able  to  bear?  " 
5.  But  Brother  Sutherland  reaches  his 
climax  when  he  says,  "I  declare  there 
is  distinctiveness  in  your  doctrine  to 
justify  a  new  Church !  "  There  is  no 
difference  among  us  about  doctrine — we 
all  believe  alike  in  the  doctrine  of  sanc- 
tification — the  only  difference  is  wheth- 
er the  Bible  teaches  a,  full  salvation  from 
all  sin  now,  or  a  partial  cleansing  now,  and 
a  complete  cleansing  at  some  future  time ! 
It  is  not  sanctification,  but  your  theory 
of  it,  we  reject.  This  is  not  all :  If  any 
have  "tears"  to  shed,  they  need  not 
save  them  until  we  "quietly  withdraw 
from  the  Church  "  and  organize  "  a  new 
Church,"  for  that  will  never  be.  Those 
who  are  read  up  in  the  history  of  Meth- 


188  The  Problem  of  Methodism. 

odism  know  that  the  "withdrawing" 
began,  and  has  continued  so  far,  among 
those  who  are  on  the  other  side  of  this 
"theory."  It  was  George  Bell,  Thomas 
Maxfield,  and  others,  who  were  among 
the  first  to  profess  sanctification  as  a 
"second  change,"  and  upon  whose  testi- 
mony Mr.  Wesley  accepted  this  theory, 
who  were  also  the  first  to  "  withdraw  " 
and  set  up  for  themselves.  It  is  this 
same  "class,"  or  "party,"*  who  have 
"quietly,"  or  otherwise,  "withdrawn 
from  the  Church "  in  the  North-west 
and  organized  a  force  and  sent  them  out 
to  go  everywhere  and  cry,  "  Come  out 
of  the  Church!"  some  of  whom  have 
"made  havoc  among  the  Churches"  in 
Alabama.  It  is  this  same  "  class,"  or 
"party,"  who  have  organized  all   the 

*I  am  indebted  to  Brother  Sutherland  for  these 
terms. 


"Regeneration  a  Partial  Renovation."  189 

"  Holiness  Conventions "  that  are  now 
operating  in  this  country  on  an  independ- 
ent line !  And  if  there  ever  is  to  be  a 
general  "  withdrawing  from  the  Church," 
and  "a  new  Church  organized"  on  ac- 
count of  this  "residue  theory,"  it  does 
not  take  a  prophet  to  tell  where  the 
"withdrawing"  will  begin,  and  which 
"class  or  party"  now  "in  the  Church" 
will  compose  the  "new  Church."  I 
thought  I  saw  that  this  issue  was  com- 
ing before  I  began  to  write  these  pages, 
and  my  first  object  was  to  arrest  this 
tendency.  But  Brother  Sutherland  has 
raised  the  issue  while  I  am  writing; 
but  to  my  surprise,  instead  of  following 
the  example  of  Messrs.  Bell  and  Max- 
field,  he  politely  asks  us  to  "quietly 
withdraw  from  our  Church  with  our 
tears  and  our  prayers !  "  As  this  is  "a 
new  departure"  in  Methodist  history, 


190  The  Problem  of  Methodism. 

we  ask  for  time  to  consider  the  proposi- 
tion. In  the  meantime,  we  hope  Brother 
Sutherland  and  all  his  "party  in  the 
Church"  will  read  and  "re-read our  stand- 
ards," and  refer  now  and  then  to  Method- 
ist history  and  "our"  Articles  of  Faith.* 

*  There  is  no  article  on  sanctification  among  the 
twenty-five  articles  of  the  Methodist  creed.  There  is 
no  allusion  to  the  doctrine  or  statement  as  to  what  we 
shall  believe  about  it.  Sanctification  is  not  a  doctrine, 
but  an  experience,  and  when  it  is  presented  simply  as 
purity  of  heart  and  life  before  God,  it  finds  none  to 
oppose  it,  none  to  cavil  at  it.  To  be  holy  is  a  duty  con- 
fessed by  all  Christians,  and  it  is  agreed  we  should 
own  no  model  or  pattern  lower  than  the  Great  Ex- 
emplar. While  we  point  out  men's  sins,  and  urge  them 
to  put  them  away,  none  can  gainsay  our  teachings. 
While  we  urge  that  no  known  sin  should  be  harbored 
or  indulged,  all  Christians  agree  with  us.  It  is  only 
when  some  one  puts  forward  his  theory  of  the  opera- 
tions of  divine  grace,  or  puts  himself  forward  as  an  il- 
lustration of  a  particular  work  of  grace,  that  confu- 
sion and  contradictions  arise.  As  respects  the  model  to 
which  we  should  conform  our  lives,  it  is  found  in  Him 
alone  who  says,  "Learn  of  me."  To  any  one  who 
thrusts  himself  between  us  and  this  perfect  light, 
claiming  himself  to  be  an  example  of  perfection,  we 
will  say.  as  Diogenes  said  to  Alexander,  "  Stand  out 
of  my  sunshine." — South-western  Methodist. 


CHAPTER  VII. 
Christian  Perfection. 

Our  object  has  not  been  to  lower  the 
standard  of  Christian  experience  or 
holy  living,  but  to  remove  some  of  the 
difficulties  which  have  gathered  around 
both,  and  to  place  each  where  the  in- 
spired writers  left  them.  We  would 
start  the  young  convert  and  the  re- 
claimed backslider  on  exactly  the  same 
plane  of  Christian  experience  which  is 
claimed  for  one  who  has  received  the 
"second  change."  As  the  whole  sub- 
ject is  usually  presented,  no  wonder  so 
few  "  go  on  to  perfection,"  and  so  many 
get  into  trouble  and  confusion.  Sancti- 
fication  is  not  a  growth  in  grace,  but  an 
act  of  cleansing  which  prepares  the  new- 
born soul  to  grow.     It  takes  the  moral 

(191) 


192  The  Problem  of  Methodism. 

purity  of  sanctification  and  a  growth 
in  grace  to  mature  into  perfection. 
The  young  Christians  who  fail  to  see  all 
this  fail  to  maintain  a  pure  heart,  and 
for  the  want  of  a  pure  heart  they  fail 
to  grow;  and  for  the  want  of  a  pure 
heart,  and  the  growth  that  would  follow, 
they  fail  to  "go  on  unto  perfection." 

SECTION  1.  "GROWING  OUT  OF  SIN." 

As  the  word  of  God  requires  purity 
of  heart  and  a  growth  in  grace,  some 
have  concluded  that  they  could  grow 
out  of  sin  into  moral  purity.  Now 
moral  purity  is  not  a  question  of  time, 
but  a  growth  in  grace  is.  There  is  no 
such  thing  as  a  gradual  growing  out  of 
sin;  for  sin  is  not  a  thing  to  be  out- 
grown, but  an  act  to  be  forgiven  and  a 
stain  to  be  washed  away.  The  guilt  of 
sin  must  be  forgiven  and  the  pollution 
of  sin  must  be  washed  away  by  faith  in 


Christian  Perfection.  193 

the  blood  of  the  Lamb ;  and  all  this  is 
an  instantaneous  work.  A  full  salva- 
tion from  all  sin  is  the  present  privilege 
of  all  who  "believe  with  a  heart  unto 
righteousness."  There  is  such  a  thing  as 
growth  in  unfolding  the  Christian  graces, 
which  growth  results  in  Christian  per- 
fection ;  but  the  simple  act  of  sanctifica- 
tion — of  being  "cleansed  from  all  sin  " — - 
is  a  work  of  the  Holy  Spirit  performed 
in  the  "  washing  of  regeneration." 

In  the  Methodist  Quarterly  Review  for 
July,  1877,  Rev.  J.  O.  A.  Clarke,  D.D., 
LL.D.,  truly  says:  "Every  believer 
whose  sins  are  truly  forgiven,  and  who 
is  begotten  of  God,  is  pure  in  heart,  free 
from  sin,  and  sanctified.  And  this  sanc- 
tification  is  contemporaneous  with  the 
new  creation.  For  •  God  from  the  be- 
ginning  (that   is,    from    the   believer's 

hearing  and  obeying  the  gospel)  hath 
13 

WQFFQRD  COLLEGE  LIBRARY 


WO'  -    ? 


■^ 


194  The  Problem  of  Methodism. 

chosen   him   to  salvation  through  the 
sanctification  of  the  Spirit  and  belief  of 
the    truth/      When    'old    things    are 
passed   away,    and   all   things    become 
new,'  the  believer  is  sanctified,  freed 
from  sin,   and  '  becomes  a   servant  of 
God.'     From  that  moment  he  is  one  of 
the  'elect  of  God  the  Father,  through 
sanctification  of  the  Spirit  unto  obedi- 
ence and  sprinkling  of  the  blood  of  Je- 
sus   Christ.' "     Dr.   Clarke   is    equally 
clear  in  reference  to  the  true  position  of 
Christian  perfection  in  the  divine  life. 
He  says :    "  What  is  perfection  ?    and 
where  does  it  begin  ?     It  is  relative,  and 
because  it  is  relative  it  begins  as  soon 
as  the  believer  is  created  anew  in  Christ 
Jesus.     In  the  new  creation  he  is  made 
as  perfect  in  moral  character  as  it  is 
possible  for  him  then  to  be.     He  can  be 
no  more  or  less  perfect  than  he  is  made 


Christian  Perfection.  195 

at  the  time  by  the  sanctifying  Spirit. 
.  .  .  Now  what  of  Christian  perfec- 
tion after  the  new  birth  ?  We  answer: 
It  is  living  in  obedience  to  the  constitu- 
tion and  laws  of  the  new  man  in  Christ 
Jesus.  And  what  are  these?  They 
may  be  summed  up  in  a  single  word, 
and  that  word  is  growth.  It  is  'going 
on  unto  perfection.'  "  The  Doctor  goes 
on  to  show  that  every  thing  in  the  Word 
of  God  with  which  the  Christian  life  is 
compared  denotes  progress  and  growth. 
It  is  a  "journey,  a  pilgrimage,  a  voyage, 
a  warfare,  a  race."  It  is  "  likened  to  a 
grain  of  mustard-seed,  which  grew  into 
a  tree;"  to  the  "leaven  which  leavens 
the  whole  lump ;  "  to  a  "  babe  "  which  is 
to  become  a  "  man  in  Christ  Jesus."  But 
as  in  nature,  there  comes  a  state  of  ma- 
turity, and  that  state  of  maturity  is 
called  Christian  perfection. 


196  The  Problem  of  Methodism. 

SECTION  2.    PURITY  AND  MATURITY. 

We  must  remember  that  purity  and 
maturity  are  not  the  same.  Purity  is 
the  result  of  cleansing;  maturity  is  the 
result  of  growth.  The  justified  believer, 
the  newborn  soul,  is  "  cleansed  from  all 
unrighteousness,"  is  sanctified  by  the 
"  washing  of  regeneration  and  the  re- 
newing of  the  Holy  Ghost; "  but  he  is 
not  a  mature  Christian,  for  that  implies 
time,  experience,  and  growth.  The  Bible 
teaches  a  gradual  maturity ;  but  when 
God  cleanses  a  soul,  he  says :  "  I  will ; 
be  thou  clean,"  and  the  work  is  done! 
A  full  salvation  from  all  sin  is  the  pres- 
ent and  constant  privilege  of  all  who 
are  in  Christ  and  abide  in  him ;  and  all 
who  thus  abide  in  him  are  prepared  for 
a  rapid,  solid  growth  in  grace.  "He 
that  abideth  in  me,  and  I  in  him,  the 
same  bringeth  forth  much  fruit." 


Christian  Perfection.  197 

The  powers  of  the  soul  may  be  de- 
veloped and  the  Christian  graces  may 
be  unfolded  in  a  pure  heart.  Purity  in 
quality  does  not  exclude  increase  in 
quantity.  "  Water  in  a  small  channel 
may  be  just  as  pure  as  in  a  large  one. 
A  pure  stream  may  increase  in  volume 
and  power.  Mere  growth  never  changes 
the  nature  of  any  thing — that  which  is 
pure  may  grow,  or  that  which  is  impure 
may  grow."  The  worst  sinner  grows 
most  rapidly  in  hellish  passions,  and  the 
best  Christian  grows  most  rapidly  in 
heavenly  virtues  and  the  Christian 
graces.  Growth  is  natural ;  the  act  of 
cleansing  a  soul  is  swper-natural  and  in- 
stantaneous. Every  change  effected  by 
growth  relates  to  quantity  or  to  size ; 
every  change  effected  by  cleansing  re- 
lates to  quality  or  to  kind.  To  be 
cleansed  from  all  sin  is  a  work  to  be 


198  The  Problem  of  Methodism. 

done  by  the  Spirit,  acting  directly  upon 
the  soul ;  but  to  bring  the  Christian 
graces  to  the  highest  state  of  maturity 
is  a  work  of  time  to  be  carried  on  to 
the  day  of  Jesus  Christ. 

The  whole  object  of  the  gospel  is  to 
make  man  pure  and  keep  him  pure.  As 
"  inbred  sin "  is  derived  from  Adam, 
the  first  man,  so  in  the  new  birth 
righteousness  is  derived  from  Christ, 
our  second  Adam ;  for  the  "  new  man 
is  created  according  to  the  [original] 
divine  pattern  in  righteousness  and  true 
holiness ;  "  so  that,  "  as  we  have  borne 
the  image  of  the  earthly,  we  may  also 
bear  the  image  of  the  heavenly." 
"  Xow  ye  are  clean  through  the  word  I 
have  spoken  unto  you.  Abide  in  me, 
and  I  in  you."  "  If  ye  keep  my  com- 
mandments, ye  shall  abide  in  my  love ;  " 
and  "he  that  abideth  in  Christ  sinneth 


Christian  Perfection.  199 

not."  Such  is  the  philosophy  of  a  holy 
life.  "  Whoso  keepeth  his  word,  in  him 
verily  is  the  love  of  God  perfected." 
Here  is  "perfect  love"  and  the  way  to 
attain  it  and  keep  it.  Yet  Rev.  J.  A. 
Wood  wrote  a  book  of  three  hundred 
and  fourteen  pages  to  show  that  perfect 
love  could  be  attained  only  by  a  "  sec- 
ond process  of  repentance  and  faith 
after  regeneration ; "  when  St.  John  in 
the  \evy  text  where  Brother  Wood  got 
the  title  of  his  book,  affirms  that  "  whoso 
keepeth  his  word,  in  him  verily  is  the  love 

Of  God  PERFECTED  !  " 

SECTION  3.   CONFUSION   OF  CONFOUNDING 
TERMS  WHICH  ARE  DISTINCT.* 

Those  who  hold  that  sanctification  is 
a  "  second  change  "  have  done  much  to 

*  Of  all  the  books  I  have  read,  "  Perfect  Love  " 
and  "  Purity  and  Maturity,"  by  Rev.  J.  A.  "Wood, 
excel  in  this  work  of  confusion. 


&QFF0RB  COLLEGE  LIBRARY 


m  : 


200  The  Problem  of  Methodism. 

strengthen  the  idea  that  sanctification 
is  to  be  reached  by  a  growth.  It  is 
done  in  this  way:  In  order  to  prove 
that  sanctification  is  distinct  from  re- 
generation, they  confound  sanctification 
with  Christian  perfection  (which  is 
reached  by  a  growth) ;  and  then  their 
proof-texts  lead  their  readers  to  the  con- 
clusion that  whatever  this  "second 
change  "  may  be,  they  are  to  reach  it 
by  a  growth  in  grace.  Purity  is  sanc- 
tification, and  maturity  is  Christian 
perfection ;  now  think  of  a  man  writing 
a  book  to  show  that  "sanctification  and 
perfection  are  the  same  thing,"  and 
then  writing  another  book  to  show  that 
"purity  and  maturity  stand  forth  in 
Bible  teaching  as  distinct"  and  you  have 
the  feat  which  Rev.  J.  A.  Wood  has 
accomplished!  The  idea  that  a  new- 
born soul  may  become  a  mature  Chris- 


Christian  Perfection.  201 

tian  in  a  moment  is  more  than  most 
minds  can  comprehend ;  yet  this  is  the 
case  if  "sanctification  and  Christian 
perfection  are  synonymous — pointing  to 
the  same  state."  And  Brother  Wood's 
ingenious  effort  to  conceal  this  absurdity 
in  his  theory  of  Christian  experience, 
by  changing  terms,  is  too  glaring  to  es- 
cape the  notice  of  any  mind  that  is  not 
blinded  by  a  pet  theory. 

Now  the  Bible  theory  is  this :  The 
newborn  soul  is  as  pure  as  the  blood  of 
Christ  can  cleanse  it,  and  this  babe  in 
Christ  is  to  become  a  mature  Christian 
by  growing  in  grace.  This  confounding 
sanctification  with  perfection — purity 
with  maturity — has  led  thousands  to 
believe  that  between  regeneration  and 
sanctification  there  was  an  indefinite 
period  of  gradual  development,  and 
that  after  sanctification  is  reached  the 


202  The  Problem  of  Methodism. 

whole  object  of  Christian  experience 
and  life  was  accomplished ;  and  all  they 
have  to  do  after  being  sanctified  is  to 
find  a  sentimental  sofa,  provided  for  the 
sanctified  on  their  way  to  heaven,  where 
they  may  take  a  seat  and  chant, 

"My  willing  soul  would  stay 

In  such  a  frame  as  this, 
And  sit  and  sing  itself  away 

To  everlasting  bliss!" 

or,  seeing  that  they  can  not  be  made 
free  from  sin  until  they  are  sanctified, 
and  believing  that  they  can  not  reach 
sanctification  without  a  life-time  to  grow 
in  grace,  they  content  themselves  with 
the  fact  that  they  have  been  converted, 
and  that  their  original  purpose  to  serve 
God  and  get  to  heaven  still  remains, 
and  that  they  intend  to  hold  on  to  the 
Church  and  limp  along  somehow  until 
they  become  men  or  women  in  Christ 


Christian  Perfection.  203 

Jesus ;  then  they  will  "  crucify  the  old 
man,"  which  has  held  them  in  bondage 
so  long,  and  "destroy  the  body  of  sin" 
which  has  been,  as  a  mass  of  moral  cor- 
ruption, fastened  upon  them.  Thus 
thousands  live  either  in  a  state  of  con- 
templative inactivity  —  a  sentimental 
quietism — or  in  a  state  of  spiritual  dark- 
ness and  condemnation  for  years,  with 
nothing  left  but  the  memory  of  their 
past  conversion  and  their  original  pur- 
pose to  serve  God  and  get  to  heaven ! 

Now  if  all  these  could  be  made  to 
see  and  realize  that  there  is  no  Chris- 
tian life  that  does  not  free  us  from  sin ; 
that  "if  any  man  sin  we  have  an  advo- 
cate with  the  Father;"  that  "if  we 
confess  our  sins,  he  is  faithful  and  just 
to  forgive  us  our  sins  and  to  cleanse  us 
from  all  unrighteousness ; "  and  that 
"whosoever    abideth    in    him    sinneth 


204  The  Problem  of  Methodism. 

not" — then  we  might  begin  to  talk  about 
a  "pure  Church,  without  spot,  or  wrinkle, 
or  blemish,  or  any  such  thing  V  But  so 
long  as  a  great  many  of  our  ministers 
believe  and  preach  and  publish  to  the 
world  that  the  "regenerate  have  re- 
maining impurity,"  or  that  the  "  former 
corruptions  of  the  heart  remain  in  them 
and  strive  for  the  mastery,"  or  that  the 
"carnal  mind  survives  the  work  of  re- 
generation, and  remains  in  the  heart  in 
a  state  of  active  rebellion,"  and  that  all 
this  may  abide  or  exist  "  in  real  Chris- 
tians" without  justification  being  for- 
feited, so  long  wTill  the  vast  majority  of 
those  who  "  have  been  once  enlightened 
and  have  tasted  of  the  good  word  of 
God,  and  the  powers  of  the  world  to 
come,"  be  indifferent  to  the  calls  to  a 
"  higher  life."  The  time  has  come  when 
every  true  watchman  upon  the  walls  of 


Christian  Perfection.  205 

Zion  must  proclaim  that  there  is  no 
spiritual  life  which  does  not  "cleanse 
us  from  all  sin  ; "  that  there  is  no  "  new 
man  "  unless  he  has  been  "  created  ac- 
cording to  the  [original]  divine  pattern 
in  righteousness  and  true  holiness ; " 
that  "whosoever  abideth  in  him  sin- 
neth  not,"  and  whosoever  hath  sin  abid- 
ing in  him  hath  "  departed  from  the 
living  God"  and  "defiled  his  gar- 
ments;" that  "  he  that  doeth  righteous- 
ness is  righteous,  even  as  he  is  right- 
eous," and  "he  that  committeth  sin  is 
of  the  devil ; "  and  that  the  "  higher 
life"  is  reached  by  "keeping  ourselves 
in  the  love  of  God,  building  up  our- 
selves on  our  most  holy  faith,  praying 
in  the  Holy  Ghost,"  and  "looking  unto 
him  that  is  able  to  keep  us  from  fall- 
ing," "praying  always  with  all  prayer 
and    supplication    in  the    Spirit,    and 


206  The  Problem  of  Methodism. 

watching  thereunto  with  all  persever- 
ance," "  till  we  all  come  in  the  unity  of 
the  faith,  and  of  the  knowledge  of  the 
Son  of  God,  unto  perfect  men,  unto  the 
measure  of  the  stature  of  the  fullness 
of  Christ,  and  grow  up  into  him  in  all 
things,  who  is  the  Head  of  the  Church." 
Such  is  the  "higher  life"  to  which 
every  babe  in  Christ  is  called,  and  such 
is  the  means  by  which  he  is  to  attain  it. 

SECTION  4.  HOLINESS— PERFECT  LOVE-PER- 
FECT FAITH— PERFECTION. 

So  far  from  it  being  impossible  for  a 
sanctified  Christian  to  grow  in  grace, 
moral  purity  is  one  of  the  indispensable 
laws  of  spiritual  life  and  growth.  We 
have  seen  that  regeneration  includes 
sanctification — that  "  to  be  born  of  God 
is  to  be  changed  from  all  inward  sinful- 
ness to  all  inward  holiness."  A  soul 
that  is   pure   possesses   a  nature  from 


Christian  Perfection.  207 

which  holiness  proceeds.  While  holi- 
ness and  perfection  presupposes  a  pure 
moral  nature,  yet  all  the  Bible  teaches 
of  holiness  and  perfection  as  a  duty  en- 
joined or  a  state  to  be  reached,  relates 
to  the  practical  part  of  Christian  life 
and  experience.  The  Holy  Spirit  puri- 
fies our  moral  nature,  and  we  are  to  pu- 
rify our  lives.  Hence,  Paul  says :  "  Let 
us  cleanse  ourselves  from  all  filthiness 
of  the  flesh  and  spirit,  perfecting  holi- 
ness in  the  fear  of  God."  The  work  of 
"cleansing"  and  " perfecting  holiness " 
is  here  enjoined  upon  us  as  our  ivork. 
Now,  no  one  can  "  cleanse "  his  moral 
nature ;  but  he  can  "  cleanse  "  his  life ; 
and  in  so  doing,  he  will  be  "perfecting 
holiness."  Regeneration,  born  of  the 
Spirit,  created  anew,  and  sanctification, 
are  all  applied  to  the  act  by  which 
man's  moral  nature  is  purified  and  re- 


208  The  Problem  of  Methodism. 

newed  in  the  divine  image ;  while  "  per- 
fect love,"  "  holiness,"  and  "  perfection  " 
are  applied  to  that  life  of  obedience 
which  results  in  Christian  maturity.  A 
failure  to  observe  the  distinction  be- 
tween what  God  does  for  us  and  what 
we  are  to  do  for  ourselves  has  created 
no  little  confusion  among  those  who 
have  written  upon  the  "  higher  life." 
The  one  is  the  divine  side  of  the  Chris- 
tian life,  the  other  is  the  human  side. 
As  repentance  toward  God  and  faith  in 
our  Lord  Jesus  Christ  is  sure  to  be  fol- 
lowed by  the  "  forgiveness  of  our  sins" 
and  a  "cleansing  from  all  unrighteous- 
ness," so  obedience  is  sure  to  be  fol- 
lowed by  a  pure  life,  a  growth  in  grace, 
and  a  maturity  of  the  fruits  of  the 
Spirit. 

If  we  are  not  mistaken  in  the  signs 
of  the  times,  there  is  a  growing  tenden- 


Christian  Perfection.  209 

cy  to  run  the  "  higher  life  "  into  a  state 
of  mere  contemplation.  This  is  one  of 
the  legitimate  results  of  that  theory 
which  confounds  sanctification  with  per- 
fection— purity  with  maturity.  It  is 
easy  to  comprehend  how  a  soul  may  be 
"cleansed  from  all  sin"  in  a  moment, 
for  that  is  the  work  of  the  Spirit;  but 
how  a  babe  in  Christ  can  become  a  man 
in  Christ  Jesus  by  a  single  act  of  faith 
is  not  so  easily  comprehended;  and 
where  such  a  theory  is  lodged  in  the 
mind  it  paralyzes  all  Christian  activity, 
and  produces  an  abnormal  state  of  mere 
contemplation. 

Our  proper  work  as  "  new  creatures  " 
is  to  "abide  in  Christ  and  keep  his 
commandments  " — to  "  grow  in  grace  " 
and  "go  on  to  perfection."  Hence 
every  itinerant  preacher  is  asked  at  the 

door   of   the  Conference:    "Have   you 

14  J 


210  The  Problem  of  Methodism. 

faith  in  Christ?  Are  you  going  on  to 
perfection  ?  Do  you  expect  to  be  made 
perfect  in  love  in  this  life?  Are  you 
groaning  after  it?  "  *  The  way  to  ob- 
tain "perfect  love"  is  obedience: 
"  Whoso  keepeth  his  word,  in  him  ver- 
ily is  the  love  of  God  perfected."  The 
way  to  "  perfect  holiness  "  is  to  "  cleanse 
ourselves" — our  lives — "from  all  filth- 
iness  of  the  flesh  and  spirit."  The  way 
to  "perfect  faith"  is  by  good  works: 
"  Seest  thou  how  faith  wrought  with  his 
works,  and  by  works  was  faith  made  per- 
fect." The  command  is,  "Be  ye  holy." 
How  ?  "As  ye  have  yielded  your  mem- 
bers servants  to  uncleanness  and  to  in- 
iquity unto  iniquity,  even  so  now  yield 

*  No  man  would  quote  these  vows  to  prove  that 
sanctification  is  a  "  second  change,"  if  he  had  not 
first  confounded  sanctification  with  Christian  per- 
fection— purity  with  maturity. 


Christian  Perfection.  211 

your  members  servants  to  righteousness 
unto  holiness;"  for  "now  being  made 
free  from  sin,  and  become  servants  of 
God,  ye  have  your  fruit  unto  holiness." 
With  the  Bible  before  him,  how  any 
man  can  propose  to  write  a  book  and 
say,  "  In  this  work  I  shall  use  the  terms 
sanctification,  perfect  love,  holiness, 
maturity,  and  perfection,  as  meaning 
the  same  thing,  and  as  describing  the 
same  work  of  grace  in  the  heart,"  is  a 
mystery  I  can  not  comprehend!  And 
yet  all  the  books  on  the  "higher  life" 
are  written  from  this  stand-point.  Is 
it  any  wonder  that  those  who  wrote 
them  and  those  who  read  them  "find 
no  end  in  wandering  mazes  lost?"  Is 
it  any  wonder  that  under  such  teachers 
the  very  terms  "sanctification,"  "holi- 
ness," and  "  Christian  perfection  "  have 
become  the  synonyms  of  "  confusion," 


212  The  Problem  of  Methodism. 

"mystery,"  and  "fanaticism?"  And 
what  is  worse  than  all  is,  if  a  man  has  a 
mind  that  can  write  a  book  on  a  propo- 
sition so  absurd  as  that,  without  discov- 
ering the  absurdity,  there  is  but  little 
hope  of  ever  getting  him  to  see  how  ab- 
surd such  an  absurdity  really  is.  If 
any  one  thinks  this  is  severe,  all  I  ask 
is,  get  the  "Southern  Methodist  Review" 
for  November,  1887,  and  read  the  article 
on  "Sanctijication? 

The  importance  of  purifying  our  lives 
as  God  purifies  our  hearts,  in  order  to 
"  perfect  holiness  in  the  fear  of  God," 
has  not  been  fully  realized  by  the 
Church;  and  nothing  tends  more  to 
call  off  the  mind  of  the  Church  from 
this  important  duty  than  to  confound 
sanctification  with  Christian  perfection. 
Those  who  make  this  mistake  gather 
up  a  number  of  proof-texts  without  any 


Christian  Perfection.  213 

reference  to  the  contexts;  just  so  the 
word  sanctify,  or  perfection,  or  holiness, 
occurs  in  the  text,  they  seem  never  to 
stop  to  see  the  nature  of  the  duty  en- 
joined, or  the  true  application  of  the 
word  used.  To  them  they  all  have  the 
same  meaning  and  look  to  the  same 
end ;  and  that  end  is  a  "  second  change  " 
to  remove  "  remaining  corruption," 
which  they  imagine  was  left  in  the  mor- 
al nature  of  those  who  have  been  "re- 
newed in  the  divine  image"  and  "made 
partakers  of  the  divine  nature." 

The  holiness  required  of  us  in  the 
Bible  is  more  than  "a  state  of  moral 
purity,"  or  "the  right  state  of  our  pow- 
ers," or  "  the  right  temper  of  our  minds," 
or  "the  right  disposition  of  our  souls" 
— holiness  is  more  than  all  these  nega- 
tive virtues  and  necessitated  states  of 
the  soul,  which  culminate  in  "  doing  no 


214  The  Froblem  of  Methodism. 

harm."  God  will  supply  us  with  all 
the  prerequisites  to  holiness  (such  as 
freedom  from  the  guilt  and  pollution  of 
sin,  a  pure  moral  nature,  and  the  in- 
dwelling Spirit) ;  but  we  must  "  walk 
after  the  Spirit,"  "  be  led  by  the  Spirit," 
be  "  taught  of  the  Spirit" — we  must 
"fulfill  the  righteousness  of  the  law," 
and  "  cleanse  ourselves  from  all  filthi- 
ness  of  the  flesh  and  spirit,  perfecting 
holiness  in  the  fear  of  God." 

A  command  to  do  is  as  much  a  law 
as  a  command  not  to  do ;  and  a  viola- 
tion of  the  one  command  is  as  much  a 
sin  as  the  violation  of  the  other.  The 
servant  of  one  talent  was  called  a 
"  wicked  servant,"  not  because  he  had 
used  it  to  do  evil,  but  because  he  had 
failed  to  improve  it.  The  fig-tree  wTas 
cursed,  not  because  it  bore  pernicious 
fruit,  but  because  it  bore  no  fruit.    The 


Christian  Perfection.  215 

inhabitants  of  Meroz  were  "  cursed  bit- 
terly," not  because  they  went  over  and 
joined  the  enemy,  but  "because  they 
came  not  up  to  the  help  of  the  Lord,  to 
the  help  of  the  Lord  against  the  mighty." 
"  How  shall  we  escape  if  we  neglect  so 
great  salvation?"  Christ  represents 
many  as  being  condemned  at  the  judg- 
ment because  of  duties  neglected.  The 
possibility  and  the  duty  of  a  Christian 
"abiding  in  Christ  and  sinning  not" — 
of  "  abiding  in  him  and  keeping  his 
commandments  " — is  the  grand  ques- 
tion we  wish  to  get  before  the  Church. 
A  Christian  life  which  produces  obedi- 
ence is  the  "higher  life"  to  which  we 
are  called.  A  'pure  heart,  followed  by  a 
holy  life,  is  the  grand  end  proposed  in 
the  gospel. 

But    it    seems    more    reasonable   to 
many  that  Christ  can  "  cleanse  us  from 


216  The  Problem  of  Methodism. 

all  sin  "  than  that  we  can  be  "  preserved 
blameless  "  in  such  a  state.  That  is, 
they  can  see  how  Christ  can  do  his  part, 
but  they  do  not  see  how  we  are  to  per- 
form our  part.  Of  course,  if  left  to  our 
own  strength  we  would  fail;  but  the 
grace  which  renews  us  in  the  divine 
image  and  purifies  our  hearts  can  sus- 
tain us.  John  says:  "Whosoever  is 
born  of  God  doth  not  commit  sin ;  for 
his  seed  remaineth  in  him :  and  he  can 
not  sin,  because  he  is  born  of  God." 
(1  John  iii.  9.)  In  the  new  birth  we 
are  "  renewed  in  the  image  of  him  who 
created  us,"  we  "put  off  the  old  man, 
which  is  corrupt,  and  put  on  the  new 
man,  which  is  created  according  to  the 
[original]  divine  pattern  in  uprightness 
and  moral  purity ;  "  "we  are  made  par- 
takers of  the  divine  nature,"  "being 
born,  not  of  corruptible  seed,  but  of  in- 


Christian  Perfection.  217 

corruptible,  by  the  word  of  God."  Now 
"that  which  is  born  of  the  Spirit  is 
spirit,"  and  this  spiritual  nature  is  the 
" seed"  which  "remains  in  those  who 
are  born  of  God  " — this  is  the  "  law  of 
the  Spirit  of  life  in  Christ  Jesus,  which 
makes  us  free  from  the  law  of  sin  and 
death " — this  "  destroys  the  body  of 
sin,"  "the  carnal  mind,"  and  gives  us 
a  "  spiritual  mind,"  "  if  so  be  that  the 
Spirit  of  God  dwells  in  you."  Now  the 
indwelling  of  this  "seed"  is  an  infallible 
preventive  of  the  commission  of  sin. 
Such  a  man  "doth  not  commit  sin,  for 
his  seed  remaineth  in  him,  and  he  can 
not  sin  because  he  is  born  of  God." 
This  state  is  maintained  by  "abiding 
in  Christ;"  "whoso  abideth  in  him  sin- 
neth  not;  "  for  if  we  "  abide  in  him,"  his 
"  seed  will  remain  in  us  ;  "  and  so  long 
as  "  his  seed  remaineth  in  us  we  can 


218  The  Problem  of  Methodism. 

not  sin,  because  we  are  born  of  God" 
— we  have  the  "  Spirit  of  life  in  Christ 
Jesus,"  which  "frees  us  from  the  law  of 
sin  and  death,"  so  "  that  the  righteous- 
ness of  the  law  is  fulfilled  in  us."  A 
holy  life  depends,  then,  upon  our  "be- 
ing born  of  God,"  and  "abiding  in 
Christ."  "Abide  in  me,  and  I  in  you. 
As  the  branch  can  not  bear  fruit  of 
itself,  except  it  abide  in  the  vine,  no 
more  can  ye,  except  ye  abide  in  me.  I 
am  the  vine,  ye  are  the  branches.  He 
that  abideth  in  me,  and  I  in  him,  the 
same  bringeth  forth  much  fruit;  for 
without  me  ye  can  do  nothing."  The  ques- 
tion now  is,  how  are  we  to  "abide  in 
Christ?  "  The  bond  of  this  union  with 
Christ  is  faith.  Paul  says:  "The  just 
shall  live  by  faith;  "  "  we  walk  by  faith;" 
"thou  standeth  by  faith;"  "the  life  I 
now  live,  I  live  by  faith  in  the  Son  of 


Christian  Perfection.  219 

God."  John  says :  "  This  is  the  victory 
that  overcometh  the  world,  even  our 
faith."  Peter  says:  "You  are  kept  by 
the  power  of  God  through  faith."  Such  is 
the  philosophy  of  a  holy  life.  Holiness 
is  not  simply  a  state  of  moral  purity, 
but  also  the  result  of  right  actions.  God 
makes  us  pure,  but  we  are  to  make  our- 
selves holy.  "  Blessed  are  the  undefiled 
in  the  way,  who  walk  in  the  law  of  the 
Lord."  God's  law  is  the  test  of  charac- 
ter, the  rule  of  life,  and  the  standard  of 
holiness.  The  gospel  does  not  release 
us  from  obedience,  but  purifies  our  hearts 
and  gives  us  grace  to  keep  the  law,  so 
"that  the  righteousness  of  the  law 
might  be  fulfilled  in  us."  If  God  has 
purified  our  hearts,  we  must  purify  our 
lives  by  abiding  in  him  and  keeping 
his  commandments,"  or  we  will  lose  our 
purity  and  forfeit  our  pardon,  and  have 


220  The  Problem  of  Methodism. 

to  "lay  again  the  foundation  of  repent- 
ance from  dead  works." 

"Thou  hast  a  few  names,  even  in 
Sardis,  which  have  not  denied  their 
garments,  and  they  shall  walk  with  me 
in  white ;  for  they  are  worthy."  (Rev. 
iii.  4.)  Here,  then,  we  have  a  few 
names  held  up  by  the  great  Head  of  the 
Church  who  "  had  not  defiled  their  gar- 
ments." It  is  here,  during  probation, 
we  are  to  "  wash  our  robes  and  make 
them  white  in  the  blood  of  the  Lamb ; " 
and  so  it  is  here,  in  a  state  of  activity 
and  trial,  amid  the  temptations  and  pol- 
lutions of  this  world,  we  are  to  "keep 
ourselves  unspotted  from  the  world," 
and  our  "garments  undenled."  Thus 
did  the  "few  names  at  Sardis,"  and 
thus  may  all  who  are  "  born  of  God  " 
keep  themselves  pure.  It  was  this  that 
made  them  "meet  for  the  inheritance 


Christian  Perfection.  221 

of  the  saints  in  light " — "  worthy  to 
walk  with  him  in  white."  The  whole 
life  of  such  a  Christian  is  fragrant  with 
the  odors  of  paradise : 

When  one  that  holds  communion  with  the  skies 
Has  filled  his  urn  where  these  pure  waters  rise, 
And  once  more  mingles  with  us  meaner  things, 
'Tis  even  as  if  an  angel  shook  his  wings. 
Immortal  fragrance  fills  the  circuit  wide, 
That  tells  us  whence  his  treasures  are  supplied. 
If  the  Church  had  the  moral  power 
of  which  holiness  of  life  is  the  precur- 
sor, she  might  gird  herself  for  the  con- 
quest   of  the   world.     Every   member 
would  then  be  transformed  into  a  faith- 
ful Caleb  or  a  believing  Joshua,  to  sus- 
tain the  uplifted  hands  of  God's  legates 
as  they  lead  the  hosts  of  Israel  to  bat- 
tle and  to   victory,  until  a  conquered 
world  would  join  in  the  song: 

"  Justice  and  mercy,  holiness  and  love, 
Among  the  people  walk — Messiah  reigns, 
And  earth  keeps  jubilee  a  thousand  years." 


222  The  Problem  of  Methodism. 

Having  "put  on  her  beautiful  gar- 
ments," the  Church  would  walk  through 
the  earth  with  the  mien  of  an  angel, 
while  on  every  hand,  as  from  the  lap  of 
spring,  she  would  scatter  the  buds  of 
hope  to  bloom  in  immortal  blessedness. 
With  a  love  as  pure  and  quenchless  as 
the  ethereal  fire  of  heaven,  a  zeal  as 
fervent  as  the  galvanic  flame,  a  light  as 
clear  and  stainless  as  the  sunbeams; 
she  would  impart  a  sacred  charm  to  the 
very  name  of  religion  that  would  cause 
the  eager  eyes  of  youth  to  look  longing- 
ly forth,  as  the  lark  for  the  morning, 
that  they  might  pour  the  sweetest  notes 
of  life's  earliest  song  into  the  listening 
ear  of  heaven ! 


CHAPTER  VIII. 

"Not  Under  the  Law,  but  Under 
Grace." 

To  unite  faith  and  works,  to  harmo- 
nize the  law  and  grace,  so  as  to  make  a 
harmonious  system  of  practical  religion, 
is  a  work  of  vital  interest  to  every 
Christian.  To  do  this  is  to  put  the 
Christian  on  vantage-ground  in  devel- 
oping a  well-rounded  character.  It 
gives  him  such  a  view  of  the  plan  of 
salvation  as  will  make  him  rejoice — re- 
joice though  "  with  fear  and  trembling." 
Let  no  one  suppose  this  to  be  a  work  of 
supererogation ;  for  I  know  of  no  sub- 
ject of  so  much  importance  that  is  so 
little  understood.  While  it  is  possible 
for  one  to  be  saved  in  spite  of  doctrinal 

error,  yet  a  clear  view  of  the  plan  of 

(223) 


224  The  Problem,  of  Methodism. 

salvation  is  necessary  to  the  highest  de- 
velopment of  the  Christian  graces. 

The  love  of  God  is  the  source,  the 
death  of  Christ  is  the  meritorious  cause, 
and  faith  is  the  condition  of  salvation 
from  the  guilt  and  pollution  of  sin — 
that  is,  the  plan  of  salvation  originated 
in  the  love  of  God,  there  is  no  merit 
except  in  the  death  of  Christ,  and  there 
can  be  no  forgiveness  and  renewal  of 
our  moral  nature  without  faith.  It  is 
exceedingly  difficult  to  state  and  defend 
the  doctrine  of  justification  and  sancti- 
fication  by  faith  only  without  seeming  to 
ignore  practical  obedience.  To  preach 
a  present  salvation  from  all  sin,  without 
"  making  void  the  law,"  is  delicate 
work  indeed. 

Let  us  go  back  to  first  principles. 
Obedience  is  our  normal  relation  to  the 
divine  government.     All  created  intel- 


Not  Under  the  Law,  but  Under  Grace.  225 

ligences  are  under  obligation  to  obey 
their  Creator.  This  obligation  grows 
out  of  their  creatureship,  and  runs  par- 
allel with  their  endless  existence.  ~No 
position  we  may  assume  to  the  divine 
government,  in  this  life  or  the  next,  can 
release  us  from  this  obligation  of  obedi- 
ence. So  far  from  the  saints  in  heaven 
being  released  from  this  obligation, 
their  eternal  safety  grows  out  of  the  fact 
that  they  have  been  confirmed  in  a  state 
of  perfect  obedience;  and,  instead  of 
the  lost  in  perdition  being  thereb}'  re- 
leased from  obedience,  it  is  this  obliga- 
tion that  will  kindle  the  flames  that  will 
enwrap  them  forever.  So  far  from  the 
impenitent  sinner  on  earth  being  there- 
by released  from  obedience,  it  is  this 
obligation  unmet  that  involves  him  in 
condemnation  already ;   and,  instead  of 

the  justified  believer  being  therebv  re- 
15 


226  The  Problem  of  Methodism. 

leased  from  obedience,  he  forfeits  his 
justified  state  the  very  moment  he  will- 
fully violates  any  one  of  the  commands 
of  God. 

Practical  obedience,  then,  lies  back 
of  the  atonement,  and  can  never  be  re- 
pealed. The  design  of  the  atonement 
was  to  put  us  where  "  the  righteousness 
of  the  law  might  be  fulfilled  in  us,  who 
walk  not  after  the  flesh,  but  after  the 
Spirit."  The  plan  of  salvation  was  in- 
troduced to  meet  the  condition  of  man, 
not  as  he  came  from  the  hand  of  his 
Creator,  pure  and  innocent,  but  as  a 
fallen,  guilty,  and  depraved  being.  In 
arranging  this  plan  the  question  was 
not,  How  can  man  be  released  from  all 
obligation  to  obedience?  but,  How  ean  a 
guilty,  depraved  being  be  forgiven,  and 
his  moral  nature  "renewed  in  upright- 
ness and  moral  purity,"  so  that  he  can 


Not  Under  the  Law,  bat  Under  Grace.  227 

keep  the  law?  Now,  if  it  were  possi- 
ble for  any  sinner  to  keep  the  law  from 
this  moment  until  death,  he  would  only 
perform  his  duty  during  that  period  of 
time,  while  all  the  "unpardoned  past" 
would  still  stand  against  him.  Hence, 
if  his  past  sins  are  ever  forgiven  and 
his  moral  nature  "  renewed  in  the  di- 
vine image,"  it  must  be  done  by  some 
plan  of  mercy.  The  gospel  is  such  a 
plan.  Through  the  vicarious  death  of 
Christ  God  offers  a  full  pardon  for  all 
past  sins  and  a  thorough  "cleansing 
from  all  unrighteousness,"  upon  the 
condition  of  faith  only.  "  To  him  that 
worketh  not,  but  believeth  on  him  that 
justifieth  the  ungodly,  his  faith  is  count- 
ed for  righteousness"  "We  conclude, 
therefore,  that  a  man  is  justified  by 
faith  without  the  deeds  of  the  law." 
But  what  now?     Is  such  a  justified 


228  The  Problem  of  Methodism. 

believer  thereby  released  from  obedi- 
ence ?  Is  his  probation  at  an  end  ?  Is 
the  personal  righteousness  of  Christ  so 
imputed  to  him  that  obedience  is  no 
part  of  the  condition  of  his  final  salva- 
tion? We  will  let  Paul  answer  these 
momentous  questions :  "  There  is  there- 
fore now  no  condemnation  to  them 
which  are  in  Christ  Jesus,  who  walk  not 
after  the  flesh,  but  after  the  Spirit. 
For  the  law  of  the  Spirit  of  life  in 
Christ  Jesus  hath  made  me  free  [not 
from  the  moral  law,  but]  from  the  law 
of  sin  and  death,  .  .  .  that  the 
righteousness  of  the  [moral]  law  might 
he  fulfilled  in  us!"  Paul  affirms  that 
"Abraham's  faith  was  imputed  to  him 
for  [instead  of  past]  righteousness ; " 
that  this  "  was  written  for  our  sake,  to 
whom  it  shall  be  imputed  [in  the 
same  way],  if  we  believe;  "   that  in  this 


Not  Under  the  Law,  but  Under  Grace.  229 

sense  we  are  "justified  by  faith  only," 
but  that  we  are  thus  "  made  free  from 
the  law  of  sin  and  death,"  in  order 
"that  the  righteousness  of  the  law 
might  be  fulfilled  [not  in  Christ  for  us, 
but]  in  us,  who  walk  not  after  the  flesh, 
but  after  the  Spirit."  Now  this  "fulfill- 
ing the  righteousness  of  the  law "  is 
practical  obedience;  and  this  is  what 
St.  James  meant  when  he  said,  "  that  a 
man  is  justified  by  wrorks,  and  not  by 
faith  only,"  and  "that  faith  without 
works  is  dead."  Hence,  that  which  St. 
Paul  calls  "fulfilling  the  righteousness 
of  the  law"  St.  James  calls  "justifica- 
tion by  works ;  "  and  they  agree  in  this : 
they  both  put  this  practical  obedience 
after  justification  by  faith  only.  Thus 
the  seeming  conflict  between  Paul 
and  James  is  reconciled,  and  faith 
and   works   are   harmonized   so   as  to 


230  The  Problem  of  Methodism. 

make  a  grand  system  of  practical  relig- 
ion. 

Now  the  only  text  which  seems  to 
conflict  with  this  view  is  Paul's  decla- 
ration, "  We  are  not  under  the  law,  but 
under  grace."  Of  all  the  "  hard  things 
to  be  understood  in  Paul's  Epistles," 
and  which  "  some  have  perverted  to 
their  own  destruction,"  perhaps  none 
has  been  so  perverted  as  this — especial- 
ly as  this  has  been  perverted  to  the  de- 
struction of  good  works.  The  truth  is, 
the  declaration,  "We  are  not  under  the 
law,  but  under  grace,"  can  have  no 
bearing  on  practical  obedience  or  good 
works,  unless  it  be  assumed  that  the 
gospel  has  lowered  the  standard  of  obedi- 
ence; but  such  an  assumption  would 
be  Antinomianism  gone  to  seed.  Owing 
to  the  nature  of  moral  law — it  being  "a 
transcript  of   the  divine  mind  " — God 


Not  Under  the  Law,  but  Under  Grace.  231 

could  change  his  own  immutable  nature 
as  easily  as  he  could  lower  the  standard 
of  obedience.  Through  the  vicarious 
death  of  Christ  God  can  forgive  the 
believing  penitent ;  but  if  he  could  have 
lowered  the  standard  of  obedience  one 
iota,  then  he  could  have  released  man 
from  all  obligation  to  keep  the  law,  and 
saved  his  well-beloved  Son  from  the 
agonies  of  the  garden  and  the  death- 
throes  of  the  cross. 

What,  then,  did  Paul  mean  by  not 
"  being  under  the  law,  but  under  grace  ?  " 
Simply  this:  We  are  not  under  the 
law,  or  covenant  of  works,  under  which 
Adam  was  originally  placed,  and  in 
which  there  was  no  provision  for  par- 
don, but  we  are  under  the  covenant  of 
grace  which  was  provided  for  the  ex- 
press purpose  of  granting  pardon.  But 
so  far  from  the  covenant  of  grace  lower- 

jNJFEORD COLLESt  L'n»»"v 


N* 


wr 


232  The  Problem  of  Methodism. 

ing  the  standard  of  obedience,  the  com- 
mand still  is:  "Thou  shalt  love  the 
Lord  thy  God  with  all  thy  heart,  and 
with  all  thy  soul,  and  with  all  thy  mind, 
and  with  all  thy  strength,"  and  "  Thou 
shalt  love  thy  neighbor  as  thyself." 
Christ  said :  "  If  ye  love  me,  keep  my 
commandments."  Paul  said  :  "Yea,  we 
establish  the  law ; "  and  that  its  "  right- 
eousness must  be  fulfilled  in  us."  And 
John  said :  "  Little  children,  sin  not — 
he  that  committeth  sin  is  of  the  devil ; 
but  if  any  man  sin,  we  have  an  advocate 
with  the  Father,  Jesus  Christ  the  right- 
eous." Thus,  while  every  believer  is 
required  to  keep  the  law  and  live  with- 
out sin,  yet,  in  the  event  he  sins,  his 
case  is  different  from  Adam's  in  this: 
Adam  was  under  the  covenant  of  works 
which  made  no  provision  for  pardon, 
whereas  we  are  under  the  covenant  of 


Not  Under  the  Laic,  but  Under  Grace.  233 

grace  which  was  given  for  the  express 
purpose  of  granting  pardon ;  and  this 
privilege  of  pardon  is  extended  during 
our  probation  to  the  backslider  as  well 
as  the  returning  sinner.  But  in  either 
case  this  pardon  is  obtained  not  by 
works,  but  by  faith  in  Jesus'  name. 
Faith  in  Christ,  as  the  atoning  sacrifice 
for  the  sins  of  the  world,  is  the  only 
condition  of  forgiveness ;  and  it  is  by 
faith  that  it  might  be  by  grace.  If  Je- 
sus had  " paid  all  the  debt  we  owe"  as 
the  Antinomians  teach,  then  pardon  for 
past  sins  and  a  release  from  all  obliga- 
tions to  keep  the  law  in  the  future 
would  have  been  ours  by  right  of  j)ur- 
chase;  for  if  "  Jesus  paid  it  all,"  the 
whole  debt  is  canceled.  In  this  view,  sal- 
vation would  not  be  of  grace,  but  of 
debt ;  and  not  only  grace,  but  faith  also 
would  have  been  excluded  from  the  plan 


234  The  Problem  of  Methodism. 

of  salvation ;  for  if  the  whole  debt  is 
paid,  then  all  other  conditions  would 
have  been  superseded.  "  Jesus  paid  it 
all — all  the  debt  I  owe,"  may  jingle 
very  well  as  third-rate  poetry,  but  it 
contains  a  false  idea  of  the  atonement 
as  set  forth  in  the  Bible.  According  to 
the  Scriptures,  an  atonement  is  not 
only  a  substitution  of  one  person  for  an- 
other, but  also  the  substitution  of  one 
kind  of  suffering  for  another.  Hence 
Christ  did  not  pay  our  debt  in  kind  or 
quantity;  *  but  owing  to  the  dignity  of 
his  person  and  his  relation  to  the  divine 
government,  when  he  took  our  nature 
and  laid  down  his  life  for  us,  such  was 
the  purity  of  his  life  and  the  dignity  of 

*  Christ  did  not  suffer  the  remorse  of  conscious 
guilt,  the  bitterest  drop  in  the  sinner's  cup  of  woe; 
nor  could  he  have  suffered  all  that  was  due  the 
whole  race.     The  idea  is  absurd. 


Not  Under  the  Law,  but  Under  Grace.  235 

the  sacrifice  and  the  nature  of  his  suffer- 
ing, God  could  offer  pardon  on  the  con- 
dition of  faith,  and  final  salvation  on 
the  condition  of  obedience.  The  atone- 
ment, then,  is  not  a  commercial  transac- 
tion, in  which  God  proposes  to  so  im- 
pute the  personal  righteousness  of 
Christ  to  me  as  to  release  me  from  per- 
sonal obedience;  but  the  atonement  is 
such  an  expediency  introduced  into  the 
divine  administration  as  that  "  God  can 
be  just,  and  the  justifier  of  all  who  be- 
lieve in  Christ;"  and  when  the  sinner 
is  thus  forgiven  and  "renewed  in  up- 
rightness and  moral  purity,"  he  is  to 
seek  grace  through  Christ,  to  enable  him 
to  keep  the  law.  And  if  this  is  not  done, 
he  forfeits  his  justified  state,  and  falls 
into  condemnation ;  and  having  forfeit- 
ed his  pardon,  he  becomes  responsible 
for  the  old  debt  that  had  been  forgiven. 


236  The  Problem  of  Methodism. 

In  proof  of  this  I  refer  to  the  case  of 
the  unmerciful  servant  recorded  in  the 
eighteenth  chapter  of  Matthew :  "  Then 
his  lord  .  .  .  said  unto  him,  0  thou 
wicked  servant,  I  forgave  thee  all  that 
debt,  .  .  .  shouldest  not  thou  also  have 
had  compassion  on  thy  fellow-servant, 
even  as  I  had  pity  on  thee  ?  And  his 
lord  was  wroth,  and  delivered  him  to 
the  tormentors,  till  he  should  pay  all 
that  was  due  unto  him."  Thus  the 
man  not  only  forfeited  his  pardon,  but 
in  so  doing  he  became  responsible  for 
the  old  debt  which  had  been  forgiven. 
And  that  there  might  be  no  mistake  as 
to  what  Christ  intended  to  teach,  he 
said :  "  So  likewise  shall  my  Father  in 
heaven  do  also  unto  every  one  of  you, 
if  ye  from  your  hearts  forgive  not  every 
one  his  brother  their  trespasses !  "  But 
some  one  is  ready  to  ask,  Does  not  God 


Not  Under  the  Law,  but  Under  Grace.  237 

say,  "  I  will  forgive  their  iniquity,  and 
I  will  remember  their  sin  no  more?" 
Yea,  truly ;  but  we  must  remember  that 
every  woe  pronounced  against  the  sin- 
ner, and  every  promise  made  to  the 
righteous  in  this  life  is  conditional ; 
and  the  contingency  depends  upon  the 
voluntary  acts  of  the  creature,  and  not 
upon  any  change  "in  the  Father  of 
lights,  with  whom  is  no  variableness, 
neither  shadow  of  turning."  Hence 
God  says :  "  When  I  say  unto  the  wick- 
ed thou  shalt  surely  die ;  if  he  turn  from 
his  sin,  ...  he  shall  surely  live."  And 
"  when  I  shall  say  to  the  righteous  that 
he  shall  surely  live ;  if  he  turn  from 
his  righteousness  and  commit  iniquity, 
all  his  righteousness  shall  not  be  remem- 
bered ;  but  for  his  iniquity  that  he  hath 
committed,  he  shall  die."  "  Yet  the  chil- 
dren of  thy  people  say  the  way  of  the 


238  The  Problem  of  Methodism. 

Lord   is    not  equal;   but  as   for  them, 
their  way  is  not  equal." 

Instead,  then,  of  the  personal  right- 
eousness of  Christ  being  so  imputed  to 
me  as  to  release  me  from  personal  obe- 
dience, I  may  forfeit  my  pardon  by  fail- 
ing to  forgive  my  brother ;  yea,  Christ 
warned  every  man  in  the  college  of 
apostles  of  this  danger.  Hence,  so  far 
from  it  being  true  that  the  justification 
which  comes  to  me  through  the  merits 
of  Christ  being  "  eternal  and  uncondi- 
tional," the  Bible  teaches  that  we  re- 
ceive this  justification  on  the  condition 
of  faith,  and  that  we  retain  our  justified 
state  on  the  condition  of  obedience. 
And  so  far  from  it  being  true  that  "  if 
we  are  once  in  grace,  we  are  always  in 
grace,"  the  truth  is,  a  man  may  not 
only  forfeit  his  justified  state,  but  he 
may  die  in  that  condition ;  and  dying 


Not  Under  the  Law,  but  Under  Grace.  239 

thus,  all  his  righteousness  shall  be  for- 
gotten, and  he  shall  be  punished  for  all 
the  sins  of  his  life.  The  Bible  declares 
that  "the  righteousness  of  the  right- 
eous shall  not  deliver  him  in  the  day  of 
his  transgression."  "When  a  right- 
eous man  turneth  away  from  his  right- 
eousness and  committeth  iniquity,  and 
dieth  in  them,  for  his  iniquity  that  he 
hath  done  shall  he  die !  "  "  If  a  man 
abide  not  in  me,  he  is  cast  forth  as  a 
branch,  and  is  withered ;  and  men  gath- 
er them,  and  cast  them  into  the  fire,  and 
they  are  burned."  "War  a  good  war- 
fare, holding  faith  and  a  good  con- 
science ;  which  some  having  put  away, 
concerning  faith  have  made  shipwreck : 
of  whom  is  Hymeneus  and  Alexander!" 
Thus  we  fear  that  hundreds  who  "  were 
once  enlightened  and  made  partakers 
of  the  divine  nature,  and  tasted  of  the 


240  The  Problem  of  Methodism. 

good  word  of  God  and  the  powers  of  the 
world  to  come,"  have  now  "left  their 
first  love,"  forfeited  their  justified  state, 
and  are  drifting  toward  the  breakers 
where  Hymeneus  and  Alexander  made 
shipwreck  of  their  faith;  while  others 
have  left  the  "old  ship"  and  gone  to 
sea  in  the  devil's  craft,  and  as  they  sail 
on  dreaming  they  are  "bound  for  Ca- 
naan's happy  shore,"  lo!  it  is  a  demon's 
breath  that  fills  their  sails,  and  a  de- 
mon's hand  that  guides  their  bark  to 
ruin.  To  every  one  who  wants  to  save 
his  soul  alive  in  heaven  the  Bible  says : 
"  Christ  gave  himself  for  us,  that  he 
might  redeem  us  from  all  iniquity,  and 
purify  unto  himself  a  peculiar  people, 
zealous  of  good  works."  "  The  blood  of 
Christ  shall  purge  your  conscience  from 
dead  works  to  serve  the  living  God." 
"  He  that  endureth  to  the  end  shall  be 


Not  Under  the  Law,  but  Under  Grace.  241 

saved."  And  "Be  thou  faithful  until 
death,  and  I  will  give  thee  a  crown  of 
life." 

Thus  we  see  that,  instead  of  there  be- 
ing any  conflict  between  justification 
by  faith  and  justification  by  works, 
both  are  necessary  in  order  to  get  to 
heaven.  Justification  by  faith  relates 
to  the  forgiveness  of  past  sins,  and 
must  be  repeated  as  often  as  we  sin 
willfully.  Justification  by  works  is  the 
result  of  retaining  our  justified  state  by 
"  abiding  in  Christ  and  keeping  his 
commandments."  Now  the  Bible  teach- 
es that  justification  by  works  is  the 
grand  basis  upon  which  the  final  judg- 
ment will  be  conducted.  In  every  place 
where  the  judgment  is  brought  under 
review,  not  one  word  is  said  about  faith, 
but  every  man  is  to  give  an  account  of 

his  works.     "  For  we  must  all  appear 
16 


242  The  Problem  of  Methodism. 

before  the  judgment-seat  of  Christ,  that 
every  one  may  receive  the  things  done 
in  the  body,  whether  they  be  good  or 
evil."  "And  I  saw  the  dead,  small  and 
great,  stand  before  God ;  and  the  books 
were  opened:  and  another  book  was 
opened,  which  is  the  book  of  life:  and 
the  dead  were  judged  out  of  those 
things  written  in  the  books,  according 
to  their  works.  And  the  sea  gave  up 
the  dead  which  were  in  it ;  and  death 
and  hell  delivered  up  the  dead  which 
were  in  them:  and  they  were  judged 
every  man  according  to  their  works." 
"Behold,  I  come  quickly;  and  my  re- 
ward is  with  me,  to  give  every  man  ac- 
cording as  his  work  shall  be ! "  "  Bless- 
ed are  they  that  do  his  commandments, 
that  they  may  have  right  to  the  tree 
of  life,  and  may  enter  in  through  the 
gates  into  the  city." 


Not  Under  the  Law,  but  Under  Grace.  243 

The  points  discussed  in  this  chapter 
are  so  vital,  and  a  clear  apprehension 
of  them  is  so  important  to  every  one 
that  would  "  work  out  his  salvation 
with  fear  and  trembling/'  we  pause 
long  enough  to  give  a  brief  review 
of  these  points  and  the  lessons  they 
teach. 

We  learn,  first,  that  no  sinner  can 
render  acceptable  obedience  to  God  un- 
til he  lays  down  his  arms  of  rebellion, 
accepts  pardon,  and  is  "  renewed  in  the 
divine  image,"  by  faith  in  the  blood  of 
the  Crucified  One.  The  persistent  im- 
penitent sinner  is  in  a  state  of  enmity 
against  God ;  and  so  long  as  he  occupies 
this  attitude  all  his  boasted  morality 
and  good  deeds  avail  him  nothing;  yea, 
the  Bible  declares  that  "his  ways,  his 
thoughts,  his  sacrifices,"  and  even  "his 
prayers    are    an    abomination    unto    the 


244  The  Problem  of  Methodism. 

Lord."*  If  the  "righteousness  of  the 
righteous  shall  not  deliver  him  in  the 
day  of  his  transgression,"  how  can  any 
act  of  the  impenitent  sinner  be  accept- 
able to  God?  "Your  sword  first,  and 
then  your  hand,"  is  the  way  for  a  rebel 
to  surrender  to  his  sovereign.  "  Let 
the  wicked  forsake  his  way,  and  the  un- 
righteous man  his  thoughts ;  and  let  him 
return  unto  the  Lord,  and  he  will  have 
mercy  upon  him,  and  to  our  God,  for  he 
will  abundantly  pardon."  A  man  that 
has  not  been  subdued  by  the  cross  is  of 
necessity  under  the  wrath  of  God. 
The  atonement  is  a  supreme  effort  of 
divine  love  to  save  man  from  the  penal 
consequences  of  sin.  The  cross  is  God's 
final  statement  of  the  impossibility  of 
winking  at  sin.     The  dying  agonies  of 

*A11  this  is  equally  true  of  a  once  justified  be- 
liever who  is  now  indulging  any  secret  sin. 


Not  Under  the  Law,  but  Under  Grace.  245 

the  Son  of  God  demonstrate  that  sin 
can  never  be  pardoned  as  a  mere  act  of 
executive  clemency — that  justice  is  a 
supreme  factor  in  the  government  of 
God — a  consideration  so  vital  that  when 
Christ  placed  himself  in  the  sinner's 
stead,  even  he  had  to  suffer!  Hence, 
if  men  will  not  be  reconciled  through 
the  death  of  Christ,  they  must  be  sub- 
jugated by  force.  When  any  sinner 
has  proved  himself  unworthy  of  a  gov- 
ernment of  motive  and  moral  suasion, 
he  is  degraded  to  the  level  of  physical 
control ;  and,  as  a  last  resort,  God 
maintains  his  authority  by  coercion 
and  penal  suffering.  The  atonement  is 
a  fact  never  to  be  repeated  :  it  belongs 
to  probation,  and  probation  limits  its  pro- 
vision for  pardon. 

We  learn,  secondly,  that  no  justified 
believer  can  retain  his  justified  state 


246  The  Problem  of  Methodism. 

unless  he  "  abides  in  Christ  and  keeps 
his  commandments."  But  not  every 
sin  committed  after  justification  is  a  sin 
unto  death;  hence  we  should  not  give 
up  the  struggle  against  sin,  though  we 
fall  into  sin  again  and  again ;  for  "  if 
any  man  sin,  we  have  an  advocate  with 
the  Father,  Jesus  Christ  the  righteous," 
"  who  is  touched  with  the  feelings  of 
our  infirmities,  and  who  ever  liveth  to 
make  intercession  for  us." 

We  learn,  thirdly,  that  for  a  sinner 
or  a  backslider  to  persist  in  sin,  be- 
cause the  gospel  is  a  grand  system  of 
forgiveness,  is  the  very  essence  of  in- 
gratitude, the  height  of  presumption, 
and  shows  a  love  of  sin  and  a  hatred 
of  holiness  which  ought  to  make  the 
cheek  of  a  demon  incarnate  blush  for 
shame.  Yet  there  are  more  men  and 
women  going  to  hell  on  this  line  than 


Not  Under  the  Law,  but  Under  Grace.  247 

any  other.  "  Because  sentence  against 
an  evil  work  is  not  executed  speedily, 
therefore  the  hearts  of  the  children  of 
men  are  fully  set  in  them  to  do  evil!  " 
This  is  the  class  "who  hold  the  truth 
in  unrighteousness;"  "and  for  this 
cause  God  sends  them  a  strong  delusion 
that  they  might  believe  a  lie,  that  they 
all  might  be  damned."  No  man  ever 
rejects  the  oifer  of  mercy  without  be- 
lieving that  he  will  have  another  op- 
portunity of  being  saved.  Now  every 
sinner  in  perdition  had  his  last  offer  of 
mercy,  but  he  rejected  it,  believing  he 
would  have  another;  and  in  believing 
that,  he  believed  a  lie,  and  sealed  his 
damnation. 

Finally,  as  the  grace  of  God  is  the 
source,  and  the  death  of  Christ  is  the 
meritorious  cause  of  our  salvation,  all 
who  get  to  heaven  will  join  in  the  song, 


248  The  Problem  of  Methodism. 

"Unto  him  who  loved  us,  and  gave 
himself  for  us,  and  washed  us  in  his  own 
blood,  unto  him  be  honor,  glory,  power, 
and  dominion  forever  and  forever. 
Amen!" 


CHAPTER  IX. 

The  Laws  and  Conditions  of  Spir- 
itual Growth. 

As  it  is  now  clear  that  the  higher 
life  is  to  be  reached  by  growing  in 
grace,  it  is  important  to  understand  the 
philosophy  of  moral  development. 

All  vegetable  growth  is  dependent 
upon  extraneous  influences — such  as 
soil  and  sunshine,  moisture  and  heat. 
No  animal  can  live  and  breathe  aside 
from  air.  The  mind  is  dependent  upon 
external  conditions  which  must  be  sup- 
plied if  vigor  and  growth  are  realized. 
So  it  is  with  our  moral  and  spiritual 
natures.  God  can  not  be  loved  only  as 
the  attributes  of  his  nature  which  awak- 
en and  call  forth  our  love  are  perceived 

and   contemplated  by  us.     "  We  love 

(249) 


250  The  Problem  of  Methodism. 

him  because  he  first  loved  us."  The 
whole  question  of  natural,  moral,  and 
gracious  ability  is  too  little  understood. 
Such  a  thing  as  an  agent  acting  wholly 
from  his  own  center — as  a  self-centered 
and  self-acting  power — is  not  to  be 
found  aside  from  the  Divine  Being. 
There  is  a  sense  in  which  dependence 
is  the  condition  of  all  created  beings. 
This  is  one  of  the  fundamental  laws 
underlying  their  creatureship.  "  In 
him  we  live  and  move  and  have  our 
being."  The  all-pervading  Spirit  is  the 
conserving  and  sustaining  life  of  our 
being.  As  in  natural  life  we  can  not 
breathe  without  air,  so  in  spiritual  life 
God  supplies  all  the  necessary  elements 
and  conditions  of  such  a  state,  so  as  to 
make  virtue  and  holiness  possible  while 
he  keeps  us  in  bonds  of  obligation  and 
in  the  sphere  of  dependence  on  him. 


Spiritual  Growth.  251 

God  requires  no  man  to  do  without  the 
ability  to  do;  and  this  ability  being 
given,  or  promised,  it  is  left  to  man,  as 
a  responsible  agent,  to  decide  whether 
he  will  obey  or  disobey  the  divine  com- 
mands. 

To  understand  the  laws  of  grace,  so 
as  to  know  how  and  where  to  take  hold 
of  them,  is  a  question  of  vital  impor- 
tance. While  all  may  be  ready  to  ad- 
mit that  God  is  ready  to  perform  his 
part,  yet  but  few  seem  to  have  compre- 
hended the  laws  of  divine  assistance  so 
as  to  realize  all  that  the  gospel  prom- 
ises. How  often  does  it  happen  that 
when  we  need  divine  aid  we  go  search- 
ing in  ourselves  instead  of  making  the 
effort  and  leaving  the  whole  question  of 
ability  with  God.  The  performance  is 
our  part ;  the  power  to  do  comes  from 
God.     It  often  happens  that  the  ability 


252  The  Problem  of  Methodism. 

is  given  as  the  effort  is  put  forth.  It 
was  thus  with  the  lame  man  who  took 
up  his  bed  and  went  his  way,  and  the 
man  with  the  withered  hand  who  re- 
ceived the  power  in  the  effort  to  stretch 
it  forth. 

Thus  the  one  talent  becomes  two  by 
using  it.  As  we  go  forth  in  the  dis- 
charge of  duty,  our  ability  to  do  and 
suffer  multiplies  like  the  bread  in  the 
hands  of  the  disciples.  As  they  did 
not  wait  for  the  Master  to  multiply  the 
bread  before  they  began  the  distribu- 
tion, but  began  with  what  they  had,  so 
we  are  to  go  forth  to  our  work  with  our 
present  ability,  and  God  will  give  the 
increase  as  occasion  demands.  We 
must  prove  faithful  to  the  grace  already 
bestowed  before  we  have  the  right  to 
expect  more.  Thus  the  law  of  increase 
is  found  in  the  activity  necessary  to  em- 


Spiritual  Growth.  253 

ploy  our  present  capital.  Faith  be- 
comes strong  by  constant  exercise. 
Love  glows  and  burns  in  proportion  to 
the  labor  it  performs  and  the  sacrifices 
it  makes.  So  all  moral  powers  live  and 
grow  just  as  they  are  "  exercised  unto 
godliness."  The  path  of  the  Christian 
grows  brighter  as  he  advances.  They 
who  wait  on  the  Lord  shall  renew  their 
strength  ;  they  shall  walk  and  not  faint ; 
they  shall  run  and  not  be  weary ;  they 
shall  mount  up  with  wings  as  eagles, 
and  soar  and  talk  with  God. 

If,  then,  }Tou  have  but  one  talent,  be 
sure  to  improve  that,  and  in  due  time  it 
will  produce  another.  One  talent  im- 
proved is  infinitely  better  than  ten  tal- 
ents lying  idle.  He  that  improves  that 
which  he  hath,  more  will  be  given  unto 
him  ;  while  he  who  fails  to  improve  that 
which   he  hath  shall  lose  his  original 


254  The  Problem  of  Methodism. 

capital.  Our  final  attainments  depend 
not  so  much  upon  the  number  of  talents 
originally  given  as  upon  the  use  we 
have  made  of  them.  What  thou  doest 
must  be  done  quickly;  for  "the  night 
cometh,  when  no  man  can  work."  Time 
is  precious.  Our  interest  for  all  eterni- 
ty will  be  effected  by  what  we  do  dur- 
ing life — during  the  little  space  of  time 
that  lies  between  us  and  the  tomb. 
The  foundation  laid  during  our  proba- 
tion is  the  only  foundation  on  which  we 
can  build  forever.  Let  us  see  that  this 
foundation  is  laid  deep  and  broad. 

We  come  now  to  consider  the  condi- 
tions of  spiritual  growth.  If  we  are 
born  of  God  we  have  already  come  un- 
der the  first  condition  of  growth.  Spir- 
itual life  being  engendered  in  the  soul 
by  the  Holy  Spirit,  we  are  "  free  from 
the   law    of   sin    and   death,"  and   are 


Spiritual  Growth.  255 

ready  to  "  walk  after  the  Spirit "  and  to 
"grow  in  grace."  Now  this  spiritual 
life,  like  all  life,  has  the  law  of  expan- 
sion, of  growth  within  itself,  as  an  in- 
herent force.  There  is  nothing  that  has 
life  but  what  has  such  a  law  wrapped 
up  in  it.  This  is  the  nature  of  vital 
force  wherever  it  is  found.  This  dis- 
tinguishes life  from  death.  Death  has 
no  power  of  growth  ;  it  always  tends  to 
dissolution,  but  life  always  tends  to 
growth.  Thus  the  life  of  God,  "the 
law  of  the  Spirit  of  life,"  in  the  soul  has 
a  tendency  to  expand,  to  grow.  All  the 
babe  in  Christ  has  to  do  is  to  comply 
with  the  conditions  of  spiritual  growth ; 
the  law  of  it  being  an  inherent  princi- 
ple already  at  work  in  the  newborn 
soul.  If  we  do  not  grow  it  is  because 
we  impede  the  action  of  this  law,  just 
as  some  tribes  of  our  race  hinder  the 


200  The  Problem  of  Methodism,. 

growth  of  certain  members  of  their 
body  by  placing  them  in  clamps.  Un- 
der the  appropriate  conditions  and  in- 
fluences which  lie  within  our  sphere  of 
choice  we  should,  on  becoming  babes 
in  Christ,  grow  up  unto  men  in  Christ 
as  surely  as  the  child  grows  to  be  a 
man,  or  as  the  seed  develops  into  the 
"blade,  then  the  ear,  and  then  the  full 
corn  in  the  ear." 

We  have  but  little  to  do  with  the 
laivs,  but  a  good  deal  to  do  with  the 
conditions  of  spiritual  growth.  It  takes 
a  Liebig  to  analyze  and  classify  the 
laws  of  vegetable  life,  but  any  peasant 
can  raise  vegetables  enough  to  supply  a 
village.  So  it  might  require  an  arch- 
angel to  exjDlain  the  laws  of  spiritual 
life  and  growth,  but  the  simplest  child 
of  God  may  so  comprehend  and  apply 
the  conditions  of  spiritual  growth  as  to 


Spiritual  Growth.  257 

become  a  mature  Christian.  Our  spir- 
itual life  comes  from  God — "that  which 
is  born  of  the  Spirit  is  spirit" — and  he 
will  keep  it  intact  if  we  do  not  check 
the  operation  of  its  laws  by  allowing 
obstacles  to  be  interposed. 

In  the  parable  of  the  sower  Christ 
speaks  of  some  in  whom  the  seed  did 
not  bear  fruit.  "The  cares  of  this 
world,  and  the  deceitfulness  of  riches," 
"choke  the  word,  and  it  becometh  un- 
fruitful." Christ  here  recognized  the 
law  of  growth,  and  the  fact  that  this 
law  would  have  acted  if  it  had  not  been 
prevented  by  "the  cares  of  this  world, 
and  the  deceitfulness  of  riches."  These 
things  prevented  the  law  of  spiritual 
life  from  "bringing  forth  fruit  to  per- 
fection." We  may  permit  thorns  and 
weeds  to  grow  up  and  choke  the  seed 

we  sow,  or  we  may  keep  these  obstacles 
17 

JMUFFORd  COLLEGE  LIBR/lDV 


258  The  Problem  of  Methodism. 

out  of  the  way,  leaving  the  seed  to  have 
free  course  to  obey  the  laws  of  growth 
under  which  they  are  placed,  and  so 
"bring  forth  fruit"  at  the  appointed 
time.  So  in  spiritual  husbandry  the 
good  seed  will  grow  if  we  do  not  per- 
mit the  energies  and  affections  of  the 
soul  to  be  drawn  off  to  nourish  other 
and  hostile  growths.  If  the  powers 
and  affections  of  the  soul  are  absorbed 
in  other  things,  of  course  the  divine  life 
can  not  grow.  It  is  as  much  impossi- 
ble for  it  to  unfold  and  "bring  forth 
fruit  to  perfection  "  as  it  is  for  corn  to 
grow  and  mature  while  overrun  and 
choked  with  thorns  and  thistles.  The 
soul  must  give  itself  up  to  the  fruits  of 
the  Spirit,  and  let  no  intruder  and 
usurper  come  in  and  occupy  the  sanc- 
tum which  was  "swept  and  garnished" 
when  "  the  unclean  spirit  was  cast  out." 


Spiritual  Growth.  259 

We  may  starve  the  divine  life  as 
well  as  choke  it.  Hence,  another  con- 
dition of  growth  is  nourishment.  A 
soul  conversant  with  a  few  old  stereo- 
typed thoughts  can  never  be  the  home 
of  an  expanding  spiritual  life.  In  such 
a  soul  this  life,  like  every  thing  else  in 
it,  will  be  dwarfed.  In  such  a  soul  re- 
ligion may  run  into  fanaticism,  or  quiet- 
ism, but  it  can  not  shine  out  in  its  own 
native  loveliness  and  beauty — "born  of 
heaven  and  as  free  as  the  air." 

Men  of  the  world  sometimes  complain 
that  the  Church  furnishes  but  few 
grand,  well-rounded  Christian  charac- 
ters. One  reason  is,  the  world  furnish- 
es such  poor,  dwarfed,  contracted  souls 
for  the  Church  to  develop.  If  the 
world  will  furnish  great,  generous,  act- 
ive, thinking,  investigating  minds  for 
the  divine   life   to   grow  in,  then   the 


260  The  Problem  of  Methodism. 

Church  will  show  great,  noble,  living, 
and  mature  Christians.  Another  rea- 
son for  this  deficiency  in  Christian 
growth  is  found  in  the  fact  that  the 
world  is  always  busy  trying  to  persuade 
or  entice  the  members  of  the  Church  to 
leave  the  fountain  of  life  and  the 
bread  of  heaven,  and  come  and  sip  of 
the  cup  of  worldly  pleasure  and  eat  the 
husks  of  worldly  comforts ;  and,  alas ! 
the  majority  of  them  yield  to  the  temp- 
tation. Thus  thousands  have  gone  off 
after  the  world  and  are  saying,  "We 
are  rich,  and  increased  with  goods,  and 
have  need  of  nothing;"  and  know  not 
that  they  are  wretched,  and  miserable, 
and  poor,  and  starved,  and  blind, 
and  naked!  To  all  such  the  Master 
says :  "  Behold  I  stand  at  the  door  and 
knock ;  if  any  man  hear  my  voice,  and 
open  the  door,  I  will  come  in  to  him, 


Spiritual  Growth.  261 

and  will  sup  with  him,   and   he  with 
me." 

No  one  can  say  that  his  spiritual  nat- 
ure is  starved  for  the  want  of  an  ample 
provision  being  made.  For  "there  is 
bread  enough  in  our  Father's  house" 
for  all  his  children — "enough  and  to 
spare."  We  are  not  straitened  and 
pressed  in  on  all  sides  by  our  Father, 
but  in  ourselves.  Our  Father  has  made 
ample  provision  for  the  healthy  devel- 
opment of  every  one  born  of  God.  But 
if  we  would  grow  we  must  feed  upon 
this  bread  of  life.  We  must  drink  often 
and  deep  at  the  fountain  of  life.  If  we 
would  grow  into  the  highest  possible 
spiritual  life  we  must  gaze  and  wonder, 
love  and  adore,  hope  and  rejoice — must 
ply  our  whole  nature  with  the  entire 
circuit  of  truth,  stretch  our  cords  on 
this  side  and  now  on  the  other,  elicit 


262  The  Problem  of  Methodism. 

our  powers  by  all  truth  and  beauty.  To 
be  a  full-grown  Christian,  we  must  be 
developed  heavenward  and  earthward 
— Godward  and  manward — linked  to 
God  and  man  according  to  our  relations 
to  each,  and  in  harmony  with  both. 

To  attain  the  "full  stature  of  a  man 
in  Christ  Jesus,"  we  must  have  a  place, 
and  take  the  time-  for  meditation  and 
prayer — some  sacred  retreat,  where  we 
may  be  alone  with  God.  The  most  vivid 
moral  impressions,  unless  often  repeat- 
ed, will,  like  the  morning  dew,  be  ex- 
haled by  the  sun  of  worldly  prosperity 
or  brushed  away  by  our  necessary  con- 
tact  with  the  world.  Hence  the  abso- 
lute necessity  of  retirement  and  medi- 
tation, as  well  as  constant  watchfulness 
against  worldly  charms.  We  must  cul- 
tivate the  habit  of  reflection,  heavenly 
contemplation,  and  prayer.     We  must 


Spiritual  Growth.  263 

study  God's  word ;  bringing  before  the 
mind  every  day  the  great  realities 
which  the  Bible  reveals,  and  arrest 
them  and  hold  them  to  the  eye  of  the 
soul,  and  look  at  them  till  the  impres- 
sion is  left  upon  our  inmost  nature — till 
the  objects  rise  and  stand  out  in  their 
magnitude — till  the  effect  becomes  so 
fixed  and  incorporated  that  when  we  go 
out  amid  sensible  objects  we  will  carry 
the  sanctifying  influence  of  these  things 
with  us.  Thus  in  the  very  business 
and  bustle  of  life  our  thoughts  would 
recur  to  the  topics  of  retired  medita- 
tion, and  our  worldly  plans  would  be 
formed  and  executed  under  some  just 
estimate  of  the  comparative  value  of 
things  temporal  and  things  eternal. 

It  is  said  that  in  the  Royal  Gallery 
at  Dresden  may  be  seen  a  group  of  con- 
noisseurs who  sit   for  hours   before  a 


jftfUttUKD  COLLEGE  LIBRARY 


:••-._. 


264  The  Problem  of  Methodism. 

single  painting.  Then  they  walk 
around  those  halls  and  corridors  whose 
walls  are  so  eloquent  with  the  triumphs 
of  art,  but  they  hurry  back  and  pause 
again  before  that  one  masterpiece  of 
Raphael.  Lovers  of  art  can  not  enjoy 
it  to  the  full  till  they  have  made  it 
their  own  by  prolonged  communion 
with  its  matchless  forms.  One  could 
spend  an  hour  every  day  for  a  year  upon 
that  assemblage  of  human,  angelic,  and 
divine  ideas,  and  on  the  last  day  discov- 
er some  new  beauty  and  new  joy.  But 
what  thoughts,  what  ideals  of  grace, 
can  genius  throw  upon  canvas  like  those 
great  thoughts  of  God,  of  heaven,  of 
eternity,  which  stand  out  in  the  purview 
of  faith  as  the  soul  is  en  rapport  with 
heaven?  What  conception  can  art  im- 
agine of  the  "  Divine  Child  "  which  can 
equal    in    spirituality    the    conception 


Spiritual  Growth.  265 

which  one  has  of  Christ  in  the  prayer 
of  faith?  How  often  do  we  say  of  a 
pleasure,  "  I  wish  I  had  more  time,  so 
that  I  could  enjoy  it  to  my  heart's  con- 
tent!" But  no  enjoyment  can  be  more 
dependent  on  time  for  its  performance 
than  heavenly  contemplation  and  secret 
prayer.  Hurried  acts  of  devotion,  to 
be  of  any  value,  must  be  sustained  by 
other  approaches  to  God,  which  are  de- 
liberate, premeditated,  regular,  and 
which  shall  be  to  those  acts  like  the 
abutments  of  a  suspension  bridge  to 
the  arch  that  spans  the  stream.  It  will 
not  do  to  lay  such  foundations  in  haste. 
If  this  be  true  in  building  a  bridge, 
how  much  more  so  in  building  a  Chris- 
tian character!  This  thoughtful  duty, 
this  self-examination,  this  communion 
with  God  —  how  dare  we  to  hurry 
through  it  as  a  childish  sport? 


266  The  Problem  of  Methodism. 

The  assimilating,  transforming  power 
of  faith  is  clearly  taught  in  the  Bible 
and  demonstrated  in  daily  experience. 
This  is  true  of  every  kind  of  faith. 
The  whole  nature  follows  the  faith,  and 
gravitates  toward  its  object.  We  meet 
men  in  every  community  in  whose  faces 
we  see  avarice,  lust,  or  conceit,  as 
plainly  as  if  written  in  words.  They 
have  thought  and  felt  under  the  power 
of  these  qualities  so  long  that  they  are 
made  over  into  their  image.  "  The 
Hindoo,  who  worships  Brahma  sleep- 
ing on  the  stars  in  immovable  calm, 
comes  to  wear  a  fixed  expression."  The 
mediaeval  saints,  who  spent  days  and 
nights  in  contemplating  the  crucifix, 
came  to  "  show  the  very  lineaments  of 
the  Man  of  Sorrows,  as  art  had  de- 
picted them  ; "  and,  in  some  cases,  it  is 
said  that  the  very  "  marks  of  his  tort- 


Spiritual  Growth.  267 

ure  were  transferred  to  their  bodies." 
Very  early  the  faith  of  a  man  hangs  out 
its  label,  and  soon  the  whole  man  be- 
comes a  confession  of  its  truth.  A 
transforming  process  goes  on ;  faith  is 
the  workman,  and  the  object  of  faith  is 
the  pattern.  The  work  begins  within, 
down  among  the  affections  and  desires, 
and  the  forces  move  outward  until  the 
external  man  becomes,  in  feature  and 
expression,  like  the  object  of  our  wor- 
ship. This  power  of  faith,  first  to 
transform  and  then  to  reveal,  is  won- 
derful. But  as  faith  never  reaches  its 
true  sphere  until  it  enters  the  spiritual, 
and  never  finds  its  true  object  until  it 
reaches  up  to  God,  so  its  greatest  trans- 
forming and  revealing  power  is  felt  and 
seen  in  religious  experience.  Faith  is 
the  power  of  love  directed  by  will ;  and 
as  it  works   out   so   it  works   within, 


268  The  Problem  of  Methodism. 

shaping  all  things  there  after  a  divine 
pattern.  It  is  by  this  principle  that 
Christ  unites  men  to  himself.  He 
brings  men  to  believe  on  him  in  order 
that  they  may  become  like  him.  When 
sin  came,  death  came  also ;  and  the  en- 
tire system  began  to  work  toward 
death,  in  body  and  spirit.  Christ  in- 
troduces a  reversing  power,  and  turns 
the  stream  of  tendency  toward  life. 
This  is  no  mystery,  unless  it  be  a  mys- 
tery that  one  being  should  change  an- 
other into  his  likeness,  or  bring  him 
under  his  power.  We  can  conceive  of 
a  soul  so  transformed  into  the  image  of 
Christ,  so  recipient  of  his  truth,  so  in 
sympathy  with  him,  so  obedient  to  him, 
as  to  have  little  sense  of  yesterday  or 
to-morrow,  to  care  little  for  one  world 
above  another,  to  heed  death  as  little 
as  sleep,  because  he  is  so  filled  with  the 


Spiritual  Growth.  269 

life  of  God ;  for  it  is  the  nature  of  spir- 
itual life  to  assert  its  pre-eminence  over 
physical  death.  It  is  toward  this  high 
state  of  spiritual  life  and  development 
that  Christ  is  trying  to  bring  us — sow- 
ing in  our  hearts  the  seeds  of  truth  and 
love  and  life  eternal. 

As  we  "grow  in  grace  and  in  the 
knowledge  of  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ," 
there  is  a  united  action  of  all  the  facul- 
ties of  the  soul :  thought  has  more  faith 
in  it,  and  faith  more  thought;  reason 
more  feeling,  and  feeling  more  reason ; 
logic  and  sentiment  melt  into  each 
other;  courage  is  tempered  with  pru- 
dence, and  prudence  gets  strength  and 
courage  from  wisdom.  The  law  of  the 
conservation  of  forces  holds  here  as  in 
the  physical  universe.  This  united  ac- 
tion of  the  mind,  this  co-operation  of 
all  the  faculties,  this  equilibrium  of  all 


270  The  Problem  of  Methodism. 

the  mental  and  moral  forces  of  the  soul 
is  something  far  higher  than  the  dis- 
jointed experience  of  the  early  Chris- 
tian life,  something  far  beyond  a  state  of 
moral  purity  or  sanctification,  something 
that  can  only  be  reached  by  a  growth. 
It  is  like  the  action  of  the  Divine  Mind, 
in  which  every  faculty  interpenetrates 
every  other,  making  God  one  and  per- 
fect. Now  this  state  of  maturity,  of 
perfection  in  a  Christian  is  an  intima- 
tion that  he  is  approaching  the  Divine 
Mind,  and  getting  ready  to  go  and  live 
with  God. 

When  our  growth  in  grace  and  spir- 
itual knowledge  is  normal  and  unchecked 
by  sin  there  comes  a  state  of  spiritual 
life  called  a  mellow  maturity.  The  Chris- 
tian graces  have  ripened  and  the  man 
begins  to  feel  and  act  like  God.  His 
heart  grows  soft,  he  speaks  more  kind- 


Spiritual  Growth.  271 

ly,  a  rich  autumnal  tint  overspreads  his 
thoughts  and  acts.  This  state  is  some- 
times regarded  as  bordering  on  fanati- 
cism, but  it  is  simply  the  moral  and 
spiritual  natures  rising  above  the  com- 
mon walks  of  men.  Something  of  the 
divine  patience  and  charity  and  wisdom 
begin  to  show  in  him,  and  we  now  see 
why  God  made  man  in  his  own  image, 
and  gave  him  his  life  to  live.* 

Such  are  some  of  the  conditions  and 
results  of  spiritual  growth.  The  life  of 
God  in  the  soul,  with  its  law  of  expan- 
sion wrapped  up  in  it — the  removal  of 
all  obstructions  to  its  growth,  giving  it 
a  heart  "swept  and  garnished"  and  a 
mind  "free  from  the  law  of  sin  and 

*  The  idea  that  such  a  state  can  be  reached  by 
a  single  act  of  faith  is  absurd ;  hence  the  absurdity 
of  confounding  sanctification  with  Christian  perfec- 
tion— purity  Avith  maturity. 


272  The  Problem  of  Methodism. 

death" — wholesome  food,  drawn  from 
the  word  of  God  by  prayer,  meditation, 
and  all  the  means  of  grace;  and  then 
giving  it  free  action  in  deeds  of  mercy 
in  daily  life,  where  we  meet  so  much 
to  move  our  pity  and  to  stir  our  ener- 
gies. 

Thus  the  divine  life,  like  all  life,  has 
its  God-appointed  methods  of  develop- 
ment and  conditions  of  spiritual  growth, 
and  he  will  not  change  or  annul  these 
conditions.  We  can  no  more  grow  in 
grace  while  we  ignore  these  conditions 
than  the  child  can  grow  while  deprived 
of  all  the  conditions  of  physical  growth. 
But  if  we  will  comply  with  these  con- 
ditions, we  will  "  go  on  unto  perfection." 

From  this  stand-point  we  can  see  the 
beauty  and  force  of  the  following  divine 
instructions — viz.,  "As  newborn  babes, 
desire   the   sincere   milk  of  the  word, 


Spiritual  Growth,  273 

that  ye  may  grow  thereby."  "There- 
fore, beloved,  seeing  ye  know  these 
things  before,  beware  lest  ye  also,  be- 
ing led  away  with  the  error  of  the 
wicked,  fall  from  your  own  steadfast- 
ness. But  grow  in  grace  and  in  the 
knowledge  of  our  Lord  and  Saviour  Je- 
sus Christ."  "For  when  for  the  time 
ye  ought  to  be  teachers,  ye  have  need 
that  one  teach  you  again  which  be  the 
first  principles  of  the  oracles  of  God; 
and  are  become  such  as  have  need  of 
milk,  and  not  of  strong  meat.  For 
every  one  that  useth  milk  is  unskillful 
in  the  word  of  righteousness :  for  he  is 
a  babe.  But  strong  meat  belongeth  to 
them  that  are  of  full  age,  even  those 
who  by  reason  of  use  have  their  senses 
exercised  to  discern  both  good  and 
evil."     "Therefore   leaving  the  [first] 

principles  of  the  doctrine  of  Christ,  let 
18 


274  The  Problem  of  Methodism. 

us  go  on  unto  perfection;  not  laying 
again  the  foundation  of  repentance  from 
dead  works,  and  of  faith  toward  God." 
"And  he  gave  some,  apostles;  and 
some,  prophets  ;  and  some,  evangelists  ; 
and  some,  pastors  and  teachers ;  for  the 
'perfecting  of  the  saints,  for  the  work  of 
the  ministry,  for  edifying  of  the  body 
of  Christ:  till  we  all  come  in  the  unity 
of  the  faith,  and  of  the  knowledge  of 
the  Son  of  God,  unto  a  perfect  man,  unto 
the  measure  of  the  stature  of  the  fullness  of 
Christ:  that  we  henceforth  be  no  more 
children,  tossed  to  and  fro,  and  carried 
about  with  every  wind  of  doctrine,  by 
the  sleight  of  men,  and  cunning  crafti- 
ness, whereby  they  lie  in  wait  to  de- 
ceive; but  speaking  the  truth  in  love, 
may  grow  up  into  him  in  all  things, 
which  is  the  Head,  even  Christ." 

After  all  that  has  been  said  and  writ- 


Spiritual  Growt  275 

ten  about  sanctification,  it  is  the  birth- 
right of  all  God's  children — "the  base,  the 
substratum  of  a  grand  Christian  lifer  It 
is  to  be  "  cleansed  from  all  unrighteous- 
ness," "by  the  washing  of  regeneration 
and  the  renewing  of  the  Holy  Ghost" 
— to  be  "  created  anew  according  to  the 
[original]  divine  pattern  in  uprightness 
and  moral  purity"  And  Brother  Wood 
says:  "Purity  is  not  a  high  state  of 
grace,  when  compared  with  the  privi- 
leges and  possibilities  in  the  divine  life." 
Hence  the  sainted  Fletcher  said: 
"  With  me  it  is  a  small  thing  to  be 
cleansed  from  all  sin ;  but  0  to  be  filled 
with  all  the  fullness  of  God  !  "  And  Paul 
prayed  "that  ye,  being  rooted  and 
grounded  in  love,  may  be  able  to  com- 
prehend with  all  the  saints  what  is  the 
breadth,  and  length,  and  depth,  and 
height ;  and  to  know  the  love  of  Christ, 


276  The  Problem  of  Methodism. 

which  passeth  knowledge,  that  ye 
might  be  filled  with  all  the  fullness  of 
God." 

"Finally,  my  brethren,  be  strong  in 
the  Lord,  and  in  the  power  of  his 
might;  .  .  .  praying  always  with 
all  prayer  and  supplication  in  the  Spirit" 
If  we  ask  the  Spirit  to  help  our  infirmi- 
ties, enlighten  our  minds,  elevate  our 
thoughts,  purify  our  desires,  and  inten- 
sify our  faith,  then  every  groan  and 
sigh  will  be  carried  up  and  whispered 
by  the  Spirit  in  the  ear  of  mercy,  and 
soon  the  answer  returns  laden  with  the 
richest  blessings  of  heaven.  But  if  we 
would  "pray  in  the  Spirit"  and  enjoy 
his  aid,  we  must  seek  to  "  know  the 
mind  of  the  Spirit,"  and  then  yield  to 
his  divine  impressions.  Wherever  he 
leads  we  must  be  willing  to  go.  What- 
ever he  dictates  we  must  be  willing  to 


Spiritual  Growth.  277 

speak  or  do.  The  desires  he  inspires 
we  must  pour  forth  in  fervent,  earnest 
prayer.  Those  who  are  led  by  the 
Spirit  are  brought  into  a  large  place. 
Those  who  are  taught  of  the  Spirit  be- 
come wise  in  the  deep  things  of  God. 
And  those  who  are  faithful  co-workers 
with  him  enjoy  his  aid  in  all  its  fullness. 
This  aid  of  the  Spirit  accounts  for  those 
seasons  in  which  we  find  our  souls 
burdened  with  a  mysterious  agony  of 
prayer.  These  intense  groanings  are 
given  in  answer  to  some  former  prayer 
for  the  aid  of  the  Spirit ;  and  now,  when 
we  least  expected  it,  the  answer  comes, 
and  as  we  talk  with  God  we  know  what 
it  is  to  "  pray  in  the  spirit !  "  In  such 
seasons  every  nerve  of  the  soul  is 
strung  to  its  highest  tension ;  we  pour 
out  our  hearts  before  God;  we  pray 
with  groanings  that  can  not  be  uttered ; 


278  The  Problem  of  Methodism. 

then  words  flow  apace,  and  we  speak 
in  strains  to  mortal  ears  unknown. 
Such  prayer  is  weakness  casting  itself 
upon  divine  strength  ;  infirmity  leaning 
on  the  arm  of  Omnipotence,  and  the 
cry  of  the  soul  for  the  fullness  of  God. 
It  is  the  "  weary  dove  returning  to  the 
ark"  of  safety;  the  soaring  eagle 
mounting  upward  till  lost  to  all  below ; 
the  flight  of  the  soul  to  the  bosom  of 
God,  and  basking  in  the  supernal  light 
of  ineffable  glory.  To  "pray  in  the 
spirit "  is  something  more  than  to  ut- 
ter words  in  the  ear  of  God.  It  is  the 
eternal  Spirit  taking  hold  of  the  eternal 
Father  through  the  mediation  of  the 
eternal  Son.  It  is  Divinity  in  us  plead- 
ing with  Divinity  in  heaven  ;  for  "it  is 
not  ye  that  speak,  but  the  Holy  Ghost 
which  is  in  you  " — the  "  Spirit  making 
intercession  for  the  saints,  according  to 


Spiritual  Growth.  279 

the  will  of  God,   with  groanings  that 
can  not  be  uttered." 

A  day  of  glory  will  yet  dawn  upon 
the  Church ;  but  before  that  day  shall 
come  the  Church  must  travail  in  agony 
for  the  "fullness  of  God."  For  this 
Christ  groaned  in  the  garden  and  died 
on  the  cross.  For  this  he  sent  the 
Holy  Spirit  to  take  his  place  in  the 
world,  and  to  "  abide  with  the  Church 
forever."  And  now  the  Spirit  stands 
pledged  to  help  our  infirmities ;  to  take 
of  the  things  of  Jesus  and  show  them 
unto  us ;  to  teach  us  how  to  pray  and 
what  to  pray  for — making  intercession 
for  us  with  groanings  that  are  unutter- 
able. He  is  ready  to  endue  us  with 
power  from  on  high  and  give  us  tongues 
of  fire — to  shine  into  our  hearts  and 
give  us  the  light  of  the  knowledge  of 
the  glory  of  God  in  the  face  of  Jesus 


280  The  Problem  of  Methodism. 

Christ.  He  waits  to  reveal  to  us  the 
unutterable,  the  inconceivable,  and  the 
unheard-of  things  which  God  hath  pre- 
pared for  his  children.  He  waits  to 
illuminate  our  minds  and  souls  with 
the  dazzling  beams  of  grace  radiating 
from  the  Sun  of  righteousness.  He 
waits  to  make  the  glory  of  God  pass 
before  us,  and  give  us  in  beatific  vis- 
ions to  see  the  ineffable  splendor  of  the 
divine  nature.  He  waits  to  unfold  and 
apply  the  exceeding  great  and  precious 
promises  to  our  individual  wants,  and 
cause  us  to  rejoice  with  joy  unspeaka- 
ble and  full  of  glory.  He  waits  to  lead 
us  on  and  on,  until  we  are 

Plunged  into  the  Godhead's  deepest  sea, 

And  lost  in  his  immensity! 


CHAPTKR  X. 

The  Christian's  Secret  of  a  Hap- 
py Life. 

SECTION  1.  LOVE  AND  OBEDIENCE. 

Man  was  made  to  love  and  obey  God. 
This  was  his  peculiar  function,  his 
highest  bliss,  while  in  his  pristine  state 
of  purity.  To  "  love  God  with  all  the 
heart,  soul,  mind,  and  strength "  was, 
and  is,  the  sum  of  all  his  duties,  the 
apex  of  all  his  happiness,  and  the  cul- 
minating point  of  all  his  immortal 
longings.  God  is  love.  This  is  the  se- 
cret of  the  universe.  The  whole  crea- 
tion swims  in  an  ocean  of  divine  love. 
Every  law  and  relation  is  established 
in  love.  To  have  this  love  "shed 
abroad    in    our    hearts    by    the    Holy 

Ghost,"    and   then   to   respond   to   its 

(281) 


282  The  Problem  of  Methodism. 

mighty  harmonies,  and  to  know  its 
height  and  depth,  is  the  great  and  final 
achievement.  To  love  God  is  simply 
to  put  ourselves  in  accord  with  the  rul- 
ing principle  of  the  universe.  Consider 
Christ  as  the  incarnation  of  divine  love, 
and  we  see  at  once  why  we  are  to  "  love 
him  and  keep  his  commandments." 
By  his  incarnation  divine  love  was 
brought  into  humanity.  This  was  the 
only  method  by  which  human  and  divine 
love  could  coalesce.  Hence,  "  if  any  man 
love  not  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ,  let  him 
be  accursed  when  the  Lord  cometh." 

The  character  of  Christ  stands  up 
alone  in  the  world's  history.  It  is  a 
fact  the  most  pure,  ennobling,  and 
transforming  in  the  whole  range  of  hu- 
man knowledge.  "He  is  the  fairest 
among  ten  thousand,  and  the  one  alto- 
gether lovely."     One  view  of  his  cruci- 


The  Christian's  Secret.  283 

fied  Lord  revolutionized  Paul's  whole 
nature.  Thus  it  has  been  with  thou- 
sands. Such  a  view  of  the  crucified 
one  lifts  man's  whole  nature  at  once; 
and,  like  every  thing  perfect  or  divine, 
the  more  we  know  of  it  the  loftier  will 
be  our  appreciation,  and  the  sublimer 
will  be  the  transforming  results.  Like 
the  blue  arch  above  us,  the  character  of 
Christ  rises  as  we  rise,  lifting  itself  up 
into  unattainable  heights  of  purity  and 
moral  grandeur.  When  we  shall  have 
studied  his  nature  through  endless 
ages,  and  shall  have  passed  from  one 
height  of  glory  to  a  higher  still,  the 
highest  summit  that  we  shall  ever 
reach  will  only  give  us  a  more  enlarged 
view  of  his  boundless  perfection  and 
infinite  loveliness. 

Christ  came  not  to  teach  the  doctrine 
of  the  fall,  but  rather  to  redeem  a  fallen 


284  The  Problem  of  Methodism. 

race;  not  to  teach  the  love  of  God, 
but  rather  to  stand  forth  the  incarnation 
of  divine  love ;  not  to  teach  the  resur- 
rection, but  rather  to  demonstrate  it  by 
his  own  resurrection  and  ascension. 
The  necessities  of  man  were  beyond  the 
reach  of  mere  teaching;  he  needed 
more  than  information.  The  wail  of 
humanity  told  that  its  disorder  was 
more  than  a  synonym  of  ignorance. 
Others  had  taught  and  theorized.  Ages 
of  talk  had  passed,  but  man's  condition 
called  for  one  who  could  perform  what 
others  had  promised ;  one  who  could 
make  real  what  others  imagined;  one 
who  would  not  save  by  teaching,  but 
teach  by  saving;  one  who  would  not 
give  a  theory  of  life,  but  life  itself — a 
personal  Redeemer,  whose  words  were 
deeds — the  deeds  of  a  Being  mighty  to 
save.     When  he  could  say  no  more  he 


The  Christian's  Secret.  285 

unveiled  the  cross  and  let  that  speak; 
when  his  lips  were  closed,  he  opened 
his  heart  and  spake  in  blood ;  when 
his  life-work  was  ended  he  exceeded 
all  in  the  utterances  of  his  death.  Si- 
lence, if  you  will,  every  other  utterance 
of  his  wondrous  life ;  throw  a  veil  over 
every  other  act  he  performed ;  hide 
every  other  object  in  the  universe — but 
let  me  see  the  cross,  for  it  tells  me  that 
he  is  my  all-sufficient  Saviour.  If  you 
will,  pull  down  the  moon,  seal  up  the 
stars,  and  extinguish  the  sun,  but  let 
the  hill  of  calvary  stand,  for  there  I 
learn  that  infinite  love  agonized  to  re- 
veal itself,  and  died  to  utter  its  fullness. 
But  for  this  an  ocean  of  divine  love 
would  have  remained  forever  concealed ; 
but  it  found  an  ocean-channel  in  the 
death-throes  of  the  Cross,  and  now  we 
read  in  crimsoned  lines  that  "  God  is 


286  The  Problem  of  Methodism. 

love  ! "  0  divine  love !  The  source 
of  our  redemption !  The  essence  of  all 
our  happiness !  The  sweetest  harmony 
of  the  soul!  The  music  of  angels! 
The  quintessence  of  heaven !  That 
which  melts  the  hearts  of  men  and 
reconciles  the  discords  of  earth !  A 
heavenly  exotic  transplanted  in  the 
garden  of  a  purified  soul — a  divine 
creeper  which  entwines  for  support 
around  the  cross ! 

We  are  to  be  satisfied  with  nothing 
less  than  such  a  manifestation  of  su- 
preme love  to  God  as  will  lead  us  to 
"serve  him  with  a  perfect  heart"— to 
delight  ourselves  in  him  as  the  source 
of  all  our  felicity,  to  find  in  him  all  our 
happiness,  so  that  we  can  rejoice  and 
solace  ourselves  in  God  as  our  exceed- 
ing joy.  "If  ye  love  me,  keep  my 
commandments." 


The  Christian's  Secret.  287 

SECTION  2.   THE  PHILOSOPHY  OF  RESIGNA- 
TION. 

The  will  of  God  is  the  supreme  good 
of  all  created  intelligences.  God  has  a 
right,  an  infinite  right,  to  our  entire 
submission.  All  sin,  in  its  ultimate 
analysis,  is  a  revolt  of  the  will  of  the 
creature  from  the  Creator.  Here  we 
find  the  tap-root  of  depravity,  the  jugu- 
lar vein  of  the  old  man,  and  the  spinal 
column  of  sin.  Now  it  is  reasonable 
that  our  restoration  should  begin  where 
our  ruin  commenced — the  remedy  must 
be  applied  to  the  seat  of  the  disease. 
The  submission  of  our  wills  to  God's 
will  is  not  only  right,  but  our  happiness. 
Without  this  there  can  be  no  true  re- 
ligion in  the  heart ;  for  it  is  implied  in 
the  very  term  disciple,  and  is  a  prereq- 
uisite to  the  right  performance  of  every 
Christian  duty.  Therefore,  in  the  econ- 
omy of  salvation,  God  requires  us  to 


288  The  Problem  of  Methodism. 

submit  to  him,  to  his  laws  and  provi- 
dence, to  consecrate  ourselves,  our 
bodies  and  souls,  our  talents  and  influ- 
ence, our  time  and  property — our  all — to 
him  and  his  cause.  We  are  to  do  as  he 
directs,  suffer  as  he  appoints,  and  move 
in  the  sphere  he  selects. 

When  we  thus  resign  all  into  his 
hands  then  he  becomes  responsible  for 
our  happiness,  so  long  as  we  keep  all 
upon  the  altar  and  live  up  to  our  vows 
of  consecration.  The  assurance  to  such 
a  one  is  "all  things  work  together  for 
good  "  to  him.  Is  not  this  a  grand  and 
happy  life?  All  he  requires  of  us  is 
an  entire  acquiescence  in  and  submis- 
sion to  his  will — "  not  slothful  in  busi- 
ness; fervent  in  spirit;  serving  the 
Lord."  No  need  of  all  this  fear  and 
complaint  against  providence;  all  this 
anxious  "thought  for  your  life,  what  ye 


The  Christian's  Secret.  289 

shall  eat  or  what  ye  shall  drink;  nor 
yet  for  the  body,  what  ye  shall  put  on  " 
— all  this  is  superfluous,  not  to  say  sin- 
ful. It  is  our  duty  to  do  as  God  directs, 
and  "he  will  supply  all  our  need  ac- 
cording to  his  riches  in  glory  by  Christ 
Jesus." 

The  true  Christian,  therefore,  is  not 
weighted  down  with  the  distracting 
care  of  earthly  things ;  for  he  seeks  the 
kingdom  of  God  and  his  righteousness 
first — first  in  point  of  time,  in  point  of 
importance,  and  of  interest — seeks  them 
first  all  through  life,  knowing  that  all 
other  needful  things  will  be  added.  He 
gives  to  the  poor,  and  thereby  lends 
unto  the  Lord,  knowing  that  he  will  re- 
pay a  hundred-fold.  He  goes  and 
works  in  the  Lord's  vineyard,  knowing 
that  whatsoever  is  right  he  shall  re- 
ceive. He  serves  his  "  Master  in  single- 
19 


290  The  Problem  of  Methodism. 

ness  of  heart,"  knowing  that  he  will 
suj>ply  all  his  necessities.  Here  is  the 
philosophy  of  a  holy  and  a  happy  life, 
as  it  was  taught  not  by  Socrates  and 
Plato,  but  by  the  Son  of  God.  The 
Lord  is  our  defense,  the  Holy  One  of 
Israel  is  our  refuge,  and  Omnipotence 
is  pledged  in  our  behalf.  "He  has 
sworn,  and  he  will  perform  it,  as  for 
blessing  he  will  bless  thee."  If  it  were 
necessary,  he  would  make  the  universe 
tributary  to  our  happiness  ;  and  if  that 
would  not  redeem  his  promise,  he  would 
create  ten  thousand  more  worlds  and 
make  them  all  subservient  to  the  same 
great  end.  But  what  is  one  drop  of 
water  compared  to  the  ocean,  a  leaf  to 
the  sylvan  forest,  or  an  atom  to  the 
whole  creation?  Less  still  are  all  our 
wants  compared  to  the  resources  of  him 
who  openeth  his  hand  and  satisfieth  the 


The  Christian's  Secret.  291 

desires  of  every  living  thing.  Shall 
the  mite  desist  from  bearing  its  weight 
upon  the  earth  lest  it  should  give  way 
beneath  its  tiny  feet?  or  shall  the  ani- 
malcule be  troubled  lest  it  should  not 
find  room  and  sustenance  in  the  mighty 
deep?  Yes;  let  these  things  be,  but 
let  no  man  fear  to  take  the  Lord  for  his 
portion  lest  he  should  suffer  in  the  end. 
If  there  is  a  scene  on  earth  over  which 
angels  might  weep,  it  is  the  distrustful 
care  so  often  seen  on  the  faces  of  those 
who  are  called  the  children  of  God. 
Yet  how  tenderly  does  Jesus  rebuke 
our  unbelief:  "0  thou  of  little  faith, 
wherefore  didst  thou  doubt!" 

As  God  has  promised  not  only  to  do 
his  children  good,  but  the  greatest 
good ;  and  as  he  looks  to  our  eternal 
interest  as  being  of  more  value  than 
that  of  time,  so  he  regulates  every  part 


292  The  Problem  of  Methodism. 

of  his  providence  with  reference  to  our 
happiness  in  the  world  to  come;   and 
so  it  will  frequently  happen  that  there 
will  be  many  things  in  this  life  that 
will  be  mysterious  to  us  at  the  time. 
"  What  I  do  now  thou  knowest  not,  but 
thou  shalt  know  hereafter."     To  carry 
out  his  plans,  and  to  make  good  his 
promise,   our   Father  has  to  spoil  our 
earthly  comforts  and  joys  in  order  to 
increase  those  to  be  revealed  in  heaven. 
And  often  that  which  he  sees  will  make 
for  our  happiness  in  the  world  to  come 
will   appear  to   us   as   the   destroying 
angel  of  all  our  hopes  in  this  world. 
Just  as  the  child  playing  with  his  toys 
thinks  it  a  death-stroke  to  all  his  hap- 
piness when  his  father  takes  him  from 
them  and  puts  him  under  a  course  of 
mental  discipline,  simply  because  the 
child  can  onlv  see  himself  as  ever  re- 


The  Christian's  Secret.  293 

maining  a  child  and  retaining  his  fond- 
ness for  boyish  sports,  while  the  father 
looks  far  beyond  to  the  time  when  the 
boy  will  be  a  man,  with  a  capacity  to 
revel  in  the  higher  joys  that  glow  amid 
the  corruscations  of  a  brilliant  intel- 
lect; so  our  heavenly  Father,  when  he 
tears  us  away  from  our  earthly  toys  and 
puts  us  under  severe  discipline,  looks 
far  beyond  to  that  blissful  abode  where 
an  eternal  weight  of  glory  will  be  the 
feast  of  the  soul. 

It  often  happens  that  as  the  pano- 
rama of  an  unfolding  providence  passes 
before  us  we  gaze  in  astonishment  at 
these  heavenly  wonders ;  we  strive  to 
comprehend  them ;  we  look  at  them  and 
ask,  "  What  do  they  mean? "  but  no 
answer  comes  to  our  troubled  hearts. 
The  clouds  roll  up  and  off,  and  we  shud- 
der as  the  vision  of  his  chariot  sweeps 


294  The  Problem  of  Methodism. 

by,  because  we  do  not  see  the  hand  that 
guides  it.  We  are  perplexed  on  every 
hand ;  we  reason,  speculate,  and  philos- 
ophize, and  fall  back  entangled  in  the 
meshes  of  our  own  philosophy,  and  no 
light  comes  to  our  bewildered  minds 
and  throbbing  hearts.  We  are  left  to 
walk  by  faith,  and  not  by  sight.  But  it 
shall  not  always  be  thus.  At  the  pres- 
ent we  only  look  through  a  glass  dark- 
ly, and  we  must  be  content  by  knowing 
in  part.  The  reason  we  think  that  so 
little  has  been  revealed  is  because  there 
is  so  much  yet  to  be  made  known ;  and 
the  reason  that  so  much  looms  up  in  the 
far-off  future  which  we  can  not  compre- 
hend is  because  there  is  so  much  al- 
ready made  comprehensible.  Instead 
of  being  so  much  troubled  about  these 
mysteries  that  belong  to  the  future,  let 
us  feed  on  that  which  is  already  made 


The  Christian  s  Secret.  295 

plain.     We  ought  not  to  refuse  to  ad- 
mire and  study  the  worlds  which  the 
telescope  brings  to  view  be3ause  it  gives 
us  reason  to  believe  that  all  we  know  of 
the   material   universe    is    as    nothing 
compared  with  what  is  yet  to  be  re- 
vealed.    He  that  improves  the  present 
will  be  the  better  prepared  to  under- 
stand   the    future.      The    child    must 
neither   throw   away    nor    neglect   his 
arithmetic  because  he  can  not  demon- 
strate a  problem  in  Euclid.     The  de- 
sired knowledge  is  not  withheld  arbi- 
trarily, but  is  dispensed  according  to  a 
wise  economy,  as  we  are  prepared  to 
receive  it  and  are  able  to  bear  it.    There 
are  some  things  in  the  plan  of  salvation 
which  the  angels  desired  to  look  into, 
but    they   were   denied   the    privilege. 
The  gratification  of   a  mere  desire  to 
know  might  thwart  God's  designs  con- 


296  The  Problem  of  Methodism. 

cerning  us  and  obstruct  the  develop- 
ment of  our  hearts.  Our  hearts  must 
keep  pace  with  our  intellects,  our  faith 
with  our  curiosity,  and  our  practice 
with  our  knowledge.  There  is  enough 
made  plain  to  guide  us  in  the  pursuit  of 
more,  and  progress  is  the  great  law 
here  as  well  as  everywhere  else.  We 
are  traveling  on  to  the  fountain  of  light, 
and  in  that  light  which  makes  manifest 
all  these  mysteries  will  be  finally  ex- 
plained. If  faithful,  we  shall  stand  at 
last  on  the  mount  of  God,  and,  looking 
back,  all  will  be  luminous  like  a  thread 
of  silver  light  running  down  the  mount- 
ain-side up  which  the  hand  of  our  Fa- 
ther has  led  us. 

Shall  we  not  be  resigned  to  his  will 
when  he  assures  us  that,  whatever  may 
befall  his  children,  he  will  make  it  a 
means  of  augmenting  their  happiness 


The  Christian's  Secret.  297 

during  the  rolling  cycles  of  eternity? 
What  though  the  history  of  virtue  is  a 
history  filled  with  suffering ;  that  many 
of  its  scenes  are  drawn  in  characters  of 
blood;  that  persecution  has  often  pre- 
pared her  racks  and  kindled  her  fires  ; 
that  men  of  purest  life  and  strongest 
faith  have  pined  in  dungeons  or  wan- 
dered in  exile;  and  that  "others  had 
trials  of  cruel  mockings  and  scourgings 
— were  stoned,  were  sawn  asunder,  were 
tempted,  being  destitute,  afflicted,  tor- 
mented " — what  of  all  this,  if  Paul  tells 
us  that  they  suffered  these  things  "  that 
they  might  obtain  a  better  resurrec- 
tion?" Moses,  in  leaving  the  "treas- 
ures of  Egypt,  in  suffering  affliction 
with  the  people  of  God,  and  bearing 
the  reproach  of  Christ,  had  respect 
unto  the  recompense  of  the  reward ;  for 
he  endured  as  seeing  him  who  is  invis- 


298  The  Problem,  of  Methodism. 


ible."  How  often  have  the  sublimest 
virtues,  the  holiest  affections  been 
evolved  under  the  influence  of  sorrow ! 
How  much  has  the  world  risen  in  im- 
portance, how  much  has  the  moral  uni- 
verse gained  in  goodness  and  glory  by 
the  afflictions  through  which  the  saints 
have  been  called  to  pass !  Had  the 
trial  of  virtue  been  dispensed  with,  had 
there  been  no  such  thing  in  the  econo- 
my of  providence  as  tribulation  to  the 
righteous,  then  the  examples  of  Paul's 
"great  cloud  of  witnesses"  would  have 
been  lost,  the  field  of  moral  beaut}^  and 
heroism  wonderfully  circumscribed,  and 
the  most  touching  incidents  of  time 
would  have  been  lost  to  the  moral  uni- 
verse. Now,  add  to  all  this  that  "  eter- 
nal weight  of  glory  "  which  these  "  light 
afflictions  shall  work  out  for  us,"  and 
is  it  not  enough  to  lift  up  the  heads  that 


The  Christian's  Secret.  299 

are  bowed  clown  and  confirm  the  feeble 
knees,  to  suppress  every  murmur  that 
rises  in  the  throbbing  hearts  wrung  and 
crushed  with  sorrow,  to  clothe  the  dying 
hour  in  the  gorgeous  drapery  of  im- 
mortal visions  and  hang  around  the 
darkness  of  life  and  death  the  glowing- 
ensign  of  eternal  resignation*! 

SECTION  3.    CHRISTIANS.  FOR  THE  TIMES. 

The  duties  and  responsibilities  of 
Christians  are  peculiar  to  themselves. 
They  stand  isolated  in  one  sense  from 
the  mass  of  the  people,  and  the  influ- 
ence which  emanates  from  them  gives 
tone  to  the  popular  movements  of  their 
day.  They  are  the  exponents  of  the 
gospel,  the  oracles  that  speak  to  a 
slumbering  world,  the  guardians  of 
pure  religion.  It  is  desirable  to  have  a 
ministry  who  can  logically  sustain, 
clearly  elucidate,  and  enforce  the  doc- 


300  The  Problem  of  Methodism. 

trines  of  Christianity ;  ,  but  the  true 
power  of  the  gospel  is  found  in  the  holy 
lives  of  those  who  profess  it,  be  they 
clergy  or  laity.  The  world  fixes  its 
standard  of  religion  not  so  much  by 
the  Bible  and  pulpit  as  by  the  effect  it 
produces  upon  the  life  and  character  of 
Christians.  The  preacher  may  expa- 
tiate Sabbath  after  Sabbath  upon  the 
blessings  and  influences  of  the  gospel ; 
but  what  will  this  avail  if  he  is  sur- 
rounded by  a  worldly-minded  and  time- 
serving and  an  unholy  Church  ?  Now 
if  every  minister  could  say  to  his  peo- 
ple, as  Paul  did  to  the  Corinthians,  "  Ye 
are  our  epistles  known  and  read  of  all 
men,"  then  the  mouths  of  the  gainsay- 
ers  would  be  closed.  What  cares  the 
infidel  world  for  tenets  merely  stated 
and  defended  in  a  cold,  dogmatic  form  ? 
It  is   the  life  of  a  holy  man,   though 


The  Christian's  Secret.  301 

there  be  but  one,  they  dread  more  than 
all  the  force  of  eloquence  and  the  de- 
ductions of  logic.  But  "  if  the  salt  has 
lost  its  savor,  wherewith  shall  the  world 
be  salted?"  Nothing  in  the  moral 
world  is  more  useless,  pernicious,  and 
contemptible  than  an  impure,  worldly- 
minded,  pleasure-seeking  Church — use- 
less, because  it  does  not  answer  the 
avowed  end  of  its  existence,  to  purify 
the  world;  pernicious,  because  it  cor- 
rupts the  world  ;  contemptible,  because 
it  is  the  ridicule  of  the  world  and  the 
disgust  of  heaven.     (Rev.  iii.  16.) 

The  first  business  and  highest  voca- 
tion of  every  Christian  is  to  "  perfect 
holiness  in  the  fear  of  God.','  The  idea 
that  a  man's  religion  is  a  secondary 
thing  is  egregiously  false,  because  it  is 
based  upon  a  low  estimate  of  the  end 
for  which  we  were  created.    It  is  found- 


302  The  Problem  of  Methodism. 

ed  on  the  notion  that  a  man's  business 
constitutes  his  highest  concern,  that  it 
is  to  occupy  all  his  time  as  the  source 
of  his  highest  enjoyment,  and  includes 
all  his  duties.  Now  the  very  reverse  of 
this  is  true.  The  divine  command  is, 
"  Seek  first  the  kingdom  of  God  and  his 
righteousness."  "Whether  ye  eat  or 
drink,  or  whatsoever  ye  do,  do  all  to 
the  glory  of  God."  Religion  should 
put  its  impress  upon  the  whole  char- 
acter, expand  and  dilate  every  power, 
enkindle  every  element  of  sensibility, 
make  every  faculty  tributary  to  its 
great  end,  until  it  becomes  the  master- 
principle  to  regulate  every-day  life  and 
the  true  glory  of  man.  Let  this  become 
the  status  of  the  Church,  and  who  can 
estimate  the  results  ? 

We    need    just    now,    in    a   peculiar 
sense,  Christians  for  the  times.     In  the 


The  Christians  Secret.  303 

providence  of  God  the  present  genera- 
tion is  surrounded  by  extraordinary 
events  and  opportunities.  During  the 
last  thirty  years  the  civilized  world  has 
been  in  commotion.  Sages  and  philos- 
ophers, scientists  and  theologians  have 
gazed  in  consternation  at  a  series  of 
events  so  wonderful  in  their  nature  and 
so  rapid  in  their  succession  as  to  appear 
in  retrospect  more  like  the  illusions  of 
fancy  than  scenes  of  real  life.  Owing 
to  these  upheavals,  society  is  thrown  up 
from  its  lowest  depths ;  old  lines  of  de- 
markation  are  gone ;  the  obscure  have 
come  to  the  front ;  the  masses  are  wan- 
dering in  the  chaotic  fields  of  doubt  and 
uncertainty.  Thus  thousands  are  drift- 
ing on  these  troubled  waters,  or  driving 
into  a  darker  sea  at  every  plunge,  and 
are  anxiously  looking  for  some  beacon 
to  guide  them  into  a  peaceful  harbor. 


304  The  Problem  of  Methodism. 

We  need,  therefore,  Christians  of  deep 
principles  to  sustain  them  amid  the 
rage  of  this  terrible  storm ;  of  burning- 
zeal  to  stand  along  the  breach  of  time 
as  the  light  of  the  world  peering  far 
above  the  wreck  that  sweeps  around, 
and  throwing  the  light  of  the  cross  far 
out  upon  the  surging  billows,  to  guide 
these  storm-wrecked  mariners  to  the 
desired  harbor.  We  need  Christians 
who  will  ride  upon  the  crest-wave  of 
progress,  rise  upon  the  flood-tide  of  im- 
provement, and  keep  pace  with  the  ad- 
venturous spirit  of  the  age,  to  mold 
and  direct  all  for  the  advancement  of 
the  kingdom  of  Christ.  We  need 
Christians  of  deep  experience  and  stern 
metal,  who  will  ring  out  clear  and 
strong  upon  the  world,  to  call  it  to  a 
pause  in  its  mad  career;  men  of  pure 
hearts    and    powerful   faith,    who    can 


The  Christian's  Secret.  305 

stand  like  the  storm-swept  rock,  the 
same  amid  the  combined  shock  of  winds 
and  waves;  of  moral  power  to  com- 
mand our  resources  and  direct  our  en- 
ergies, arresting  the  proud  monjarrchs  of 
crime,  the  devotees  of  fashion,  and  the 
worshipers-  of  mammon,  and  secure 
their  allegiance  to  the  King  of  kings 
and  Lord  of  lords. 

In  connection  with  these  stirring 
events  a  few  scientists  have  made,  and 
are  still  making,  a  fearful  attack  upon 
the  Bible.  These  enemies  of  the  cross 
are  trying  to  capture  the  strongholds 
of  learning  and  plant  their  batteries 
firmly  upon  the  hill  of  science.  At 
such  a  crisis  every  actor  on  the  stage 
of  life  is  an  object  of  more  than  ordi- 
nary interest;  for  at  such  a  time  the 
facilities  for  doing  either  good  or  evil 

are   fearfully   augmented.      The   mind 
20 


306  The  Problem  of  Methodism. 

and  heart  of  the  devout  Christian 
throbs  with  joy  in  the  contemplation 
of  the  good  he  may  do  by  "spreading 
scriptural  holiness  over  these  lands." 
Thanks  to  heaven,  Zion's  watchmen 
have  already  taken  the  alarm,  while 
here  and  there  a  stripling  from  the 
ranks  of  the  laity  has  gone  forth  with 
pebble  and  sling  to  meet  these  Goliaths 
of  sin  and  Satan.  The  two  hundred 
thousand  converts  of  1887  stand  up  as 
living  witnesses  of  the  fact  that  the 
gospel  is  still  the  power  of  God  unto 
salvation.  The  tide  of  grace,  which 
has  already  set  in,  will  no  doubt  con- 
tinue to  flow  until  the  universal  Church 
shall  be  refreshed,  and  the  reapers  in 
the  Lord's  vineyard  shall  gather 
sheaves  in  all  lands,  and  the  rejoicing 
angels  shout  "  harvest  home !  " 

But  before  that  day  dawns  the  latent 


The  Christian's  Secret.  307 

energies  and  dormant  powers  of  the 
Church  must  be  baptized  with  holy 
fire  and  burning  zeal.  Instead  of  the 
kindling  light  she  must  have  the  glow- 
ing blaze,  and  instead  of  the  gentle, 
permeating  heat  the  volcanic  shock 
and  throes  of  fire  and  flame.  It  is  the 
perfection  of  folly  to  expect  success 
without  these  demonstrations  of  the 
Spirit*  To  think  of  conquering  the 
world  without  them  is  as  silly  as  to 
think  of  melting  icebergs  with  moon- 
beams. Heaven  sympathizes  with  a 
Church  in  travail ;  and  for  the  birth  of 
souls  the  whole  creation  groaneth  and 
travaileth  in  pain  together,  with  mighty 
throes,  until  the  shout  of  a  newborn 
world  shall  usher  in  the  millennial 
morn. 


CHAPTER  XI. 

"Now  of  the  Things  Which  We 

Have  Spoken,  This  Is  the 

Sum." 

The  Problem  discussed  and  the  con- 
clusions reached  in  the  foregoing  chap- 
ters are  of  so  much  importance  that 
we  add  a  brief  review.  In  regard  to 
Mr.  Wesley's  theory  of  the  divine  life, 
we  have  much  we  would  like  to  say, 
but  not  now.  There  are  a  few  things, 
however,  that  nmst  be  said  here  and 
now.     It  is  evident : 

1.  That  Mr.  Wesley  believed  in  the 
"second  change  theory  of  sanctifica- 
tion." 

2.  That  his  views  of  the  distinction 

between  regeneration  and  sanctification 

were  confused.     At  one  time  he  said: 
(308) 


Conclusion.  309 


"  It  is  undeniably  true  that  sanctifica- 
tion  is  a  progressive  work,  carried  on  in 
the  soul  by  slow  degrees."  At  another 
time  he  said:  "Certainly  sanctification 
is  an  instantaneous  deliverance  from  all 
sin."  And  on  one  occasion  he  said: 
"  Perhaps  I  have  an  exceedingly  com- 
plex idea  of  sanctification." 

3.  That  there  is  not  a  passage  of 
scripture  which  Mr.  Wesley  uses  in  de- 
scribing the  state  of  the  sanctified  that 
he  does  not,  somewhere,  apply  to  the 
state  of  the  regenerated.  All  that  he 
gives  to  the  one  he  takes  from  the  oth- 
er ;  hence,  according  to  Mr.  Wesley,  re- 
generation and  sanctification  are  iden- 
tical. 

4.  That  Mr.  Wesley  relied  on  the 
(so-called)  experiences  of  men  for  his 
"second  change  theory  of  sanctifica- 
tion," and  not  on  the  word  of  God ;  for 


310  The  Problem,  of  Methodism. 

he  says,  "  The  Scriptures  are  silent  on 
the  subject.  The  point  is  not  deter- 
mined, at  least  not  in  express  terms,  in 
any  part  of  the  oracles  of  God."  And 
it  is  a  remarkable  fact  that  some  of  the 
men  upon  whose  testimony  Mr.  Wesley 
accepted  the  "second  change"  theory 
soon  after  professed  a  "third  blessing," 
or  change,  which  lifted  them  up  "  above 
temptations."  Hence,  the  question  is, 
not  what  men  say  they  have  experi- 
enced, but  What  does  the  Bible  teach  ? 
what  is  the  Bible  theory  of  the  divine 
life?  So  far  as  the  "second  change 
theory  of  sanctification  "  is  concerned, 
Mr.  Wesley  has  taken  it  out  of  the 
doctrines  taught  in  the  word  of  God, 
and  left  it  to  stand  or  fall  upon  the  tes- 
timony of  men.  Is  this  the  reason  why 
those  who  profess  sanctification  as  a 
"  second  change  "  differ  from  other  good 


Conclusion.  311 


men  and  women  in  nothing  except  in 
"testifying?" 

5.  Mr.  Wesley  was  led  into  the  "  res- 
idue theory  of  regeneration"  by  the 
Ninth  Article  of  the  Church  of  En- 
gland, and  this  opened  the  way  to  ac- 
cept the  "  second  change  theory  of  sanc- 
tification,"  upon  human  testimony,  when 
"the  Scriptures  were  silent  on  the  sub- 
ject." But  as  he  changed  his  views  on 
sanctification  from  saying  it  was  a  " pro- 
gressive work  carried  on  by  slow  de- 
grees," to  say  it  was  "an  instantaneous 
deliverance  from  all  sin,"  so  he  finally 
rejected  the  "  residue  theory  of  regener- 
ation "  so  far  as  to  cut  it  out  of  the  Ar- 
ticles of  Faith  sent  over  to  America  in 
1784.  And  he  so  far  abandoned  both 
the  "residue  theory"  and  the  "second 
change  theory,"  in  his  sermon  on  "Per- 
fection "  in  1785,  as  to  say  not  one  word 


312  The  Problem  of  Methodism. 

about  "inbred  sin,"  and  to  say  that 
"  salvation  from  all  sin  is  the  least,  the 
lowest,  branch  of  perfection." 

6.  Mr.  Wesley  always  gave  a  Bible 
definition  of  regeneration ;  and  but  for 
the  fact  that  he  felt  bound,  as  an  or- 
dained elder  in  the  Church  of  England, 
to  teach  the  doctrine  of  her  Ninth  Ar- 
ticle,* and  for  the  fact  that  he  was  dis- 
posed to  accept,  without  closely  analyz- 
ing, any  good  man's  experience,  there  is 
every  evidence  to  believe  that  the  "  res- 
idue theory  "  and  the  "  second  change 
theory"  would  never  have  had  a  place 

*Mr.  Wesley  says:  "A  serious  clergyman  de- 
sired to  know  in  what  points  we  differed  from  the 
Church  of  England.  I  answered : '  To  the  hest  of  my 
knowledge,  in  none.  The  doctrines  we  teach  are 
the  doctrines  of  the  Church  of  England — indeed, 
the  fundamental  doctrines  of  the  Church  as  clearly 
laid  down  both  in  her  prayers,  articles,  and  homi- 
lies: "    (Watson's  "  Life  of  Wesley,"  pp.  76,  77.) 


Conclusion.  313 


in  his  theology;  or  if  they  had  crept 
in,  he  would  have  expunged  them  from 
his  teachings  long  before  he  expunged 
them  from  our  Articles  of  Faith. 

We  have  said  that  Mr.  Wesley  al- 
ways gave  a  Bible  definition  of  regen- 
eration     Here  it  is  in  extenso: 

Mr.  WTesley  says :  "  The  state  of  a 
justified  person  is  inexpressibly  great 
and  glorious.  He  is  born  again,  not  of 
blood,  nor  of  flesh,  nor  of  the  will  of 
man,  but  of  God.  He  is  a  child  of  God, 
a  member  of  Christ,  an  heir  of  the 
kingdom  of  heaven.  The  peace  of  God, 
which  passeth  all  understanding,  keep- 
eth  his  heart  and  mind  in  Jesus  Christ. 
His  very  body  is  a  temple  of  the  Holy 
Ghost,  and  a  habitation  of  God. 
Through  the  spirit  he  is  created  anew 
in  Christ  Jesus ;  he  is  washed,  he  is 
sanctified.      His   heart   is    purified    by 


314  The  Problem  of  Methodism. 


faith;  he  is  cleansed  from  the  corrup- 
tion that  is  in  the  world ;  the  love  of 
God  is  shed  abroad  in  his  heart  by  the 
Holy  Ghost  which  is  given  unto  him. 
And  so  long  as  he  walketh  in  love 
(which  he  may  always  do),  he  worships 
God  in  spirit  and  in  truth.  He  keepeth 
the  commandments  of  God,  and  doeth 
those  things  which  are  pleasing  in  his 
sight — so  exercising  himself  as  to  have 
a  conscience  void  of  offense  toward  God 
and  man,  and  he  has  power  both  over 
inward  and  outward  sin,  even  from  the 
moment  he  was  justified." 

Again  Mr.  Wesley  says  of  the  new 
birth  :  "  It  is  the  change  wrought  in  the 
whole  soul  by  the  Almighty  Spirit  of 
God  when  it  is  created  anew  in  Christ 
Jesus,  when  it  is  renewed  after  the 
image  of  God  in  righteousness  and  true 
holiness,  when  the  love  of  the  world  is 


Conclusion.  315 


changed  into  the  love  of  God,  pride 
into  humility,  passion  into  meekness ; 
.  .  .  a  change  from  inward  sinful- 
ness to  inward  holiness ;  when  earthly 
desires — the  desire  of  the  flesh,  the  de- 
sire of  the  eyes,  and  the  pride  of  life — 
are  in  that  instant  changed  by  the  pow- 
er of  the  Spirit  of  God  into  heavenly 
desires."  "  In  a  word,  when  the  earth- 
ly, sensual,  devilish  mind  is  turned  into 
the  mind  that  was  in  Jesus." 

"Well,"  says  Mr.  Wesley,  "what 
more  than  this  can  be  implied  in  entire 
sanctification  ?  It  does  not  imply  any 
new  kind  of  holiness.  Let  no  man  im- 
agine this.  From  the  moment  we  are 
justified  till  we  give  up  our  spirits  to 
God,  love  is  the  fulfilling  of  the  law. 
.  .  .  Love  is  the  sum  of  Christian 
sanctification.  It  is  the  one  kind  of 
holiness  which  is  found  onlv  in  various 


316  The  Problem  of  Methodism. 

degrees  in  the  believers  who  are  dis- 
tinguished by  St.  John  into  little  chil- 
dren, young  men,  and  fathers.  The 
difference  between  one  and  the  other 
properly  lies  in  the  degree  of  love." 

Now  the  same  love  which  is  in  the 
"Fathers  "  is  in  the  "  little  children  ;  " 
and  if  this  "love  is  the  sum  of  sanctifi- 
cation,"  and  the  love  of  the  babe  is  the 
same  in  kind  as  that  of  the  father,  it 
follows  that  if  the  father  is  sanctified 
so  is  the  babe ;  if  the  father  is  pure,  the 
babe  is  pure;  for  the  difference  is  not  in 
kind,  but  in  degree,  and  the  degree  de- 
pends not  upon  an  extra  act  of  cleans- 
ing, but  upon  capacity;  and  this  differ- 
ence of  capacity  between  the  babe  and 
the  father  is  the  result  of  growth,  and 
not  the  result  of  a  "second  change;" 
but  in  order  for  the  babe  in  Christ  to 
become  a  man  in  Christ,  he  must  have 


Conclusion.  317 


not  simply  a  "second  blessing,"  but  a 
"blessing"  everyday.  But  is  the  babe, 
the  newborn  soul,  sanctified  "wholly?" 
Certainly  ;  for  he  has  that  "  love  which 
is  the  sum  of  Christian  sanctification." 
Moreover,  Mr.  Wesley  says :  "  '  To  for- 
give us  our  sins  '  is  to  take  away  the 
guilt  of  them ;  and  to  '  cleanse  us  from 
all  unrighteousness '  is  to  purify  our 
souls  from  every  kind  and  every  degree 
of  it."  "  If  any  sin  remain,  we  are  not 
cleansed  from  all  sin;  if  any  unright- 
eousness remain  in  the  soul,  it  is  not 
cleansed  from  all  unrighteousness.' " 
(See  Notes  I.,  John  i.  9,  and  Sermon 
XL.)  But  does  this  babe  "  go  right  on 
to  perfection,"  without  a  "second 
change?"  Certainly;  if  he  does  not 
"leave  his  first  love"  and  "defile  his 
garments."  In  that  event  he  must 
"repent"  and  "confess,"  and  be  "for- 


818  The  Problem  of  Methodism. 

given"  and  "cleansed,"  just  as  any 
other  sinner;  and  this  has  to  be  re- 
peated as  often  as  he  willfully  "departs 
from  the  living  God."  There  is  but 
one  process  in  the  Bible  to  get  rid  of 
the  guilt,  the  power,  and  the  pollution 
of  sin,  and  that  process  offers  a  present 

SALVATION  FROM  ALL  SIN,   BY   FAITH    IN 

Christ,  to  all  who  will  accept  it  on 
these  terms ;  and  he  who  is  thus  forgiv- 
en and  cleansed  is  to  reach  the  "  higher 
life,"  "perfection,"  or  "maturity,"  by 
"growing  in  grace  and  in  the  knowl- 
edge of  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ,"  by 
"  abiding  in  Christ,  and  keeping  his 
commandments,"  and  by  "  walking- 
after  the  Spirit"  and  "fulfilling  the 
righteousness  of  the  law." 

7.  It  is  clear  that  no  little  of  Mr. 
Wesley's  confusion  and  "  complex  ideas 
of  sanctification  "  grew  out  of  the  fact 


Conclusion.  319 


that  he  confounded  sanctification  with 
Christian  perfection.  Hence  his  origi- 
nal idea  that  "sanctification  is  a  pro- 
gressive work,  carried  on  in  the  soul  by 
slow  degrees."  Then,  after  he  had  dis- 
covered that  "  sanctification  is  an  in- 
stantaneous deliverance  from  all  sin," 
he  confounded  sanctification  with  holi- 
ness. This  mistake  was  more  natural 
than  the  other,  because  Mr.  Wesley 
was  a  firm  believer  in  the  "  doctrine  of 
created  holiness."  *  Now  holiness,  like 
perfection,  presupposes  moral  purity,  or 
sanctification ;  but  as  perfection  is 
reached  by  &  pure  soul  growing  in  grace, 
so  holiness  is  the  result  of  a  pure  soul 
living  right — "fulfilling  the  righteous- 

*  A  doctrine  that  has  been  the  source  of  several 
errors  running  all  through  Methodist  theology,  and 
about  which  I  shall  have  something  to  say  in  the 
future,  Deo  volente. 


320  The  Problem  of  Methodism. 

ness  of  the  law."  Hence,  while  moral 
purity  is  the  result  of  a  divine  act,  holi- 
ness in  a  moral  creature  is  the  result  of 
right  action — that  is,  God  can  make  us 
pure;  but  beyond  this  he  can  not  make 
us  holy.  Hence,  the  possession  of  all 
the  moral  faculties  in  a  pure  or  a  puri- 
fied state,  and  the  possession  of  holiness, 
should  never  be  confounded  any  more 
than  purity  and  maturity.  Now  Mr. 
Wesley  made  both  these  mistakes ; 
and  m  so  doing  he  had  at  times  "  an 
exceedingly  complex  idea  of  sanctifica- 
tion,"  and  not  a  few  of  our  modern  Fa- 
thers and  teachers  are  in  this  particu- 
lar genuine  Wesleyan  Methodists — 
"  Simon  Pure."  But  they  differ  with 
Mr.  Wesley  in  this:  Mr.  Wesley  al- 
ways changed  his  views  when  he  saw 
his  error;*  but  they,  like  the  "law  of 

*He  changed  his  views,  but  was  too  busy  to  go 


Conclusion.  321 


the  Medes  and  Persians,  change  not;" 
and,  what  is  worse,  they  can  not  see  how 
it  was  possible  for  Mr.  Wesley  to  have 
done  so!  (Ex  vitio  alterius,  sapiens 
emendat  suum.) 

It  is  a  remarkable  fact  that  Mr. 
Wesley  had  the  moral  courage  to  fol- 
low truth  although  it  led  him  to  contra- 
dict what  he  had  already  published. 
But  few  men  thus  love  truth,  and  fewer 
still  understand  the  charm  truth  has  to 
such  a  man.  Thus  Mr.  Wesley  went 
on  searching  for  truth  and  publishing 
his  thoughts  to  the  world,  never  dream- 
ing that  those  who  should  come  after 
him  would  adopt  either  the  errors  or 

back  and  change  what  he  had  written  and  published 

on  the  subject.     Dr.  Bledsoe  has  shown  that  Mr. 

Wesley  intended  to  revise  his  works,  but  finally  he 

left  this  work  of  revision  to  those  who  should  come 

after  him.     Is  it  not  time  this  work  should  be  done 

bv  the  General  Conference? 
21 


322  The  Problem  of  Methodism. 

mistakes  with  which  he  started  but  out- 
grew and  set  aside;  much  less  did  he 
suppose  that  posterity  would  hold  him 
responsible  for  errors  which  he  had  re- 
jected by  contradicting  them.  To  set 
this  thought  clearly  before  the  reader 
has  been  the  one  object  we  have  had  in 
view  in  arraying  Mr.  Wesley  against 
himself;  but  in  doing  this  we  have  also 
had  some  insight  into  the  magnitude  of 
some  of  the  errors  which  he  had  inher- 
ited from  the  Church  of  England,  the 
mother  of  us  all.  In  religious  doctrine 
inherited  error,  like  inherited  depravi- 
ty, can  only  be  overcome  by  the  throes 
of  a  new  creation  and  a  baptism  of  light 
and  love.  This  baptism  we  believe  Mr. 
Wesley  received,  and  the  evidences 
thereof  are  found  in  our  expurgated 
Articles  of  Faith,  and  scattered  all 
through  his  later  writings,  but  especially 


Conclusion.  323 


in  his  sermon  on  "  Perfection,"  pub- 
lished only  six  years  before  his  death 
and  one  year  after  he  had  publicly  re- 
jected the  residue  theory  of  regenera- 
tion by  expunging  the  clause  in  which 
it  was  baptized  into  the  Creed  of  the 
Church. 

Now  this  sermon  on  "Perfection"  is 
in  such  perfect  accord  with  Mr.  Wes- 
ley's "Notes  on  the  New  Testament," 
and  with  his  definition  of  the  new  birth, 
and  in  such  harmony  with  the  theory 
of  the  divine  life  advocated  in  these 
pages  that  if  we  were  to  add  it  as  the 
closing  chapter,  one  who  is  not  familiar 
with  it  would  never  suspect  that  its 
author  had  ever  held  the  "  residue  the- 
ory of  regeneration,"  or  the  "second 
change  theory  of  sanctification,"  while 
not  a  few  who  are  teaching  both  these 
"theories"    would    read    the    chapter 


324  The  Problem  of  Methodism. 

without  ever  suspecting  that  Mr.  Wes- 
ley was  its  author.  For  the  present  we 
take  our  leave  of  Mr.  Wesley,  but  not 
without  assuring  the  reader  that  our 
admiration  of  that  great  and  good  man 
has  increased  at  every  step  in  the  in- 
vestigation necessary  to  write  these 
pages. 

We  learn  from  this  entire  discussion 
several  important  lessons : 

1.  That  no  state  of  grace  can  be 
reached  in  this  life  where  our-  natural 
sensibilities  may  not  be  stirred  and  ex- 
cited toward  forbidden  objects ;  but  that 
there  is  no  sin  in  this  excitement,  pro- 
vided there  is  no  concurrence  of  the 
will. 

2.  That  while  temptation  necessarily 
implies  the  power  to  yield,  jret  the  very 
laws  of  the  mind  which  make  a  tempta- 
tion severe  to  the  young  convert  will 


Conclusion.  325 


react  in  favor  of  him  who  stands  firm 
for  a  long  time. 

3.  That  the  perfection,  or  "higher 
life,"  to  which  we  are  called  as  justified 
believers  is  not  the  result  of  a  "  second" 
and  separate  act  of  cleansing,  but  it  is 
reached  by  a  true  unfolding  of  our  mor- 
al and  spiritual  powers,  together  with 
the  integrity  of  character  which  is  su- 
perinduced by  a  retroaction  upon  the 
activity  involved  in  resisting  tempta- 
tion successfully. 

4.  That  while  development  and  pro- 
gression may  ever  remain  a  law  of  our 
spiritual  and  intellectual  being,  yet 
when  we  have  so  subjected  our  entire 
being  to  the  will  of  Christ  that  a  state 
of  perfect  moral  equilibrium  is  reached 
— when  the  moral  strength  and  reflex 
influence  which  follows  right  action 
have  reached  a  point  that  cancels  the 


326  The  Problem  of  Methodism. 

same  natural  consequences  of  wrong- 
action,  so  that  we  are  "rooted  and  es- 
tablished" in  the  principles  of  right- 
eousness— then  we  have  reached  that 
holiness  and  perfection  which  is  required 
of  us,  and  which  is  the  exalted  privilege 
held  up  to  every  believer. 

5.  That  if  God  in  his  wisdom  calls 
the  justified  soul  into  eternity  as  soon 
as  he  is  regenerated,  there  is  no  neces- 
sity for  a  "  second  change  "  to  prepare 
him  for  heaven ;  but  being  "  renewed 
in  the  image  of  God  "  and  "  created  ac- 
cording to  the  divine  pattern  in  up- 
rightness and  moral  purity,"  he,  like 
the  thief,  may  go  directly  from  the  place 
of  forgiveness  to  the  paradise  of  God, 
without  having  to  pass  through  either 
the  theological  purgatory  of  Protestant- 
ism or  the  penal  purgatory  of  Catholi- 
cism. 


Conclusion.  327 


6.  That  the  cause  of  so  little  holiness 
in  the  Church  is  because  so  many  yield 
to  temptation  and  live  the  most  of  their 
time  in  a  state  of  condemnation — though 
they  may  not  have  renounced  their 
original  purpose  to  serve  God ;  and  that 
the  conviction  of  inbred  sin  which  pro- 
fessing Christians  frequently  have  is 
not  the  remains  of  moral  corruption  left 
in  them  at  the  new  birth,  but  the  cor- 
ruption resulting  from  wrong  action  aft- 
er justification. 

7.  That  the  reason  the  best  Chris- 
tians who  have  ever  lived  have  written 
the  bitterest  things  against  themselves 
is  not  because  they  were  cleansed  only 
in  part  at  the  moment  of  regeneration, 
but  because  they  had  reached  a  state  in 
the  divine  life  which  enabled  them  to 
detect  the  slightest  deviation  from  that 
law  which  requires  truth  in  the  inward 


328  The  Problem  of  Methodism. 

parts,  the  righteousness  of  which  is  to 
be  fulfilled  in  us. 

8.  That  many  have  had  needless 
trouble  from  confounding  temptation 
and  sin,  so  that  every  time  they  felt 
any  excitement  of  their  sensibilities 
under  enticement,  they  believed  that 
they  had  sinned,  whereas  this  excite- 
ment was  the  essence  of  temptation; 
while  another  class,  accepting  the  doc- 
trine of  "sin  in  believers,"  have  lived 
for  years  in  a  state  of  condemnation, 
dreaming  that  all  was  right,  because 
they  had  not  denied  the  faith,  commit- 
ting sin  daily,  but  charging  it  all  to  the 
"  old  man  "  whom  they  intended  to  put 
to  death  by  and  by  ;  and  that  nearly  all 
total  apostates  from  the  faith  come 
from  these  two  classes  of  errorists. 

9.  That  while  the  "perfection"  here- 
in defined  is  of  necessitv  the  work  of 


Conclusion.  329 


time,  yet  who  can  tell  how  soon  it  may 
be  reached  ?  The  fact  is,  when  we  come 
to  understand  the  philosophy  of  a  holy 
life  we  see  that  it  may  be  reached  much 
sooner  than  most  Christians  suppose. 
If  the  reflex  influence  of  the  first  wrong 
act  was  such  as  to  pervert  and  corrupt 
Adam's  entire  nature,  it  is  reasonable 
to  suppose  that  if  the  young  convert 
would  resist  and  overcome  every  temp- 
tation from  the  moment  of  conversion, 
he  would  not  be  very  long  in  reaching 
a  moral  equilibrium  where  the  reflex 
influence  of  right  action  would  over- 
come the  force  of  old  habits,  so  as  to 
establish  him  in  the  truth  and  give 
him  all  the  fruits  of  the  Spirit  and 
graces  of  the  gospel.  Is  not  this  Chris- 
tian perfection? 

10.  That  while  it  is  the  privilege  and 
duty  of  every  one  born  of  God  thus  to 


330  The  Problem  of  Methodism. 

go  on  unto  perfection ;  yet,  "  if  any  man 
sin,  we  have  an  advocate  with  the  Fa- 
ther," so  that  no  one  should  give  up  be- 
cause he  is  overtaken  again  and  again, 
but  take  warning  of  the  past,  continue 
the  struggle  until  he  becomes  rooted 
and  grounded  and  established,  so  as  to 
"abide  in  Christ  and  sin  not;"  and 
though  this  does  not  put  the  Christian 
beyond  the  reach  of  temptation,  yet  it 
increases  his  moral  power  to  resist  it, 
and  augments  the  probabilities  of  his 
final  salvation — nevertheless  "let  him 
that  most  assuredly  standeth  take  heed 
lest  he  fall." 

Finally,  we  learn  that  the  true  meth- 
od of  obtaining  the  "higher  life,"  or 
Christian  perfection,  is  not  by  "  laying 
again  the  foundation  of  repentance  and 
faith,"  but,  "leaving  the  principles  of 
the  doctrine  of  Christ,  let  us  go  on  unto 


Conclusion.  331 


perfection  "  "  until  we  all  come  in  the 
unity  of  the  faith  and  knowledge  of  the 
Son  of  God,  unto  a  perfect  man,  unto 
the  measure  of  the  fullness  of  Christ ; " 
"  that  we  henceforth  be  no  more  children 
but  may  grow  up  into  him  in  all  things, 
which  is  the  head,  even  Christ."  And 
now  "as  ye  have  yielded  your  members 
servants  to  uncleanness  and  to  iniquity 
unto  iniquity,  even  so  now  yield  your 
members  servants  to  righteousness  unto 
holiness.  For  when  ye  were  the  serv- 
ants of  sin  ye  were  free  from  righteous- 
ness, but  now  being  made  free  from  sin, 
and  become  servants  to  Cod,  ye  have 

YOUR  FRUIT  UNTO  HOLINESS,  AND  THE 
END  EVERLASTING  LIFE." 


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